Australian Embassy
Thailand

Press Release 2013 - Message Stick

Message Stick: Indigenous Identity in Urban Australia

2 October 2013

The Australian Embassy Bangkok and the Art Center, Office of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University proudly present "Message Stick: Indigenous Identity in Urban Australia”. The exhibition will be on display from Tuesday 5 November - Wednesday 27 November, 2013 at The Art Center, 7th floor, Office of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University.

The exhibition showcases 21 paintings and photographs created by more than 10 Indigenous urban artists over the last 25 years. All the artwork is from the Australian Government’s Artbank collection.

The exhibition underlines the vitality, energy and innovation of Indigenous communities and artists. It takes audiences beyond the popular contemporary Indigenous art movement of the Western Desert to the personal experiences of life in urbanised Australia.

The striking images featured in the exhibition have, at their heart, the stories of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures and reflect the enormous contributions made by these communities to modern Australian society. These works present a fresh view of contemporary Indigenous identity and may make you think differently about what it means to be an Indigenous person in Australia today.

Featured artists include Ian W Abdulla, Brook Andrew, Richard Bell, Robert Campbell Jnr, Julie Dowling, Adam Hill, Danie Mellor, Christian Thompson, Reko Rennie, Darren Siwes, and H.J Wedge.

The exhibition is presented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in partnership with Artbank. It has toured New Caledonia and African countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya over the last two years, and is currently on an Asian tour.

Venue: The Art Center, 7th floor, Office of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University. The Center is open Monday to Friday, 9am – 7pm, Saturday from 9am – 4 pm, and is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Tel: 02-218 2965.

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