We defy: By existing; By determining our identity; By asserting our histories; our culture; our language; By telling our stories, our way; By being one of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world.
The museum is proud to bring the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Gallery of Australia’s highly successful to Sydney. Defying Empire features the works of 30 contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across the country. This exhibition forms part of the museum’s program to mark the 250th anniversary of James Cook’s charting of the east coast.
Kevin Sumption CEO and Director of the museum said, ‘Key to our Encounters 2020 program was an aim to ensure that in all activities related to Cook’s 1770 voyage that we not only tell the story from the perspective from the ship, but also that from the shore, and hear the perspective of Australia’s First Nations peoples. In this powerful, free exhibition from the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Gallery of Australia, we can hear the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists speaking through their work. We are excited to bring this exhibition to Sydney.’
In 2017 the 3rd ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Indigenous Art Triennial at the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Gallery of Australia commemorated the 50th anniversary of 1967 Referendum that enabled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be counted as Australians in the census for the first time. It explores their ongoing defiance and resilience since first contact, through to the historical fight for recognition and ongoing activism in the present day.
