Federation
Seven leading Australian artists concentrate on ways in which Australia is imaged.
The artists portray their idea of Australia in critical and sometimes playfully irreverent terms. Using such elements as maps, animal emblems, satirical narratives, life cycles and speculative models, these projects commemorate and question what constitutes Australia, now and into the future.
These works span views of both indigenous culture and visions of Australia perceived by recent immigrant artists. They contemplate the ideologies that define our sense of nationhood through white settlement and Federated government. Iconoclastic, visionary and eclectic, this survey by contemporary Australian visual artists reveals some of the myths and truths that underpin life in the ‘Lucky Country’.
The artist’s are: Fiona McDonald, Greg Creek, Ian Abdullah, Patricia Piccinini, Lui Xiao Xian, Tony Trembath, Margaret Morgan, Vivienne Reed.
Each artist has been invited to frame their project in relation to areas of interest which connect to their own concerns and also engage with issues of importance to our community as we mark the centenary of Federation in Australia. These interests span the concept of indigenous culture to the views of Australia as perceived by recent immigrant artists.