Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

I managed to convince both Nikki and Nathan to come along to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art one morning before we were going to explore The Rocks. It's situated right in Circular Quai, so was very easy to get to once we got in off the ferry.

Contemporary art might not be my favourite, I often find it quite complex. Although I still enjoy experiencing, getting inspired, and learning about artists I might not be so familiar with.

I did enjoy this still life, SL508, by Jude Rae. So far away from the still life paintings I present back home at the museum!

I got very emotional in the Warraba Weatherall exhibition Shadow and Substance.
Throughout the 19th and even into the 20th century, Aboriginal peoples were subjected to systematic colonial policies of of surveillance and study. Information was collected and stored with the permission of the Aboriginal peoples.
Weatherall's artworks and installations draw attention to the ethics around how Indigenous material and information have been acquired and displayed.
Below you see an oversized craniometer, that was used to measure the skull dimensions of Aboriginal people in support of racist theories about different social issues.

Here Weatherall has recreated a wooden spinning top at large scale, and on the wall there were 35 wall panels reproducing a skin colour chart used by the American biologist Charles Davenport, who used this kind of spinning top to measure the skin colour of First Nations people. The relatives of the artist were subjected to this scientific racism.

Several thought-provoking works for sure.

If you think the painting below seems familiar, you are probably right, it is called Notes to Basquiat: Australia Day Re-enactment, by Gordon Benett.

I really liked these prints, by the two artists Tungutalum and Tipungwuti. I was hoping that there would be reproductions in the museum shop, but unfortunately not.
These are examples of Tiwi art, with birds having an important place in Tiwi culture. Much of the Tiwi art references the Palingarri (creation times) when people became mortal, and birds were seen as ancestral beings who were messengers and informers.

This work is called Jilamara, by Raelene Kerinauia Lampuwatu. She is known for her unique paintings that draw inspiration from the ceremonial body painting, and the ceremonies so intrinsic to Tiwi society.

Lake Baker, by Timo Hogan. Hogan is the cultural caretaker of this vast salt lake called Lake Baker. Since he started painting Lake Baker and its surrounds has been his primary subject.

Randomly - Now and Then, by Joan Brassil. Brassil was an artist whose works incorporate organic materials, sound, light and electronics. She described her sculptural practice as conceptual, and close to poetry. Here we were invited to "listen to the sounds of a million years singing".

Up on the terrace, we found an artwork that I really, really loved; by NZ artist Kate Newby - Hours in wind (2024). It is made from locally sourced and recycled shipping and sailing ropes, cast bronze and hand-blown glass. It looked amazing up here in the sunlight, with the Opera House in the background.

One of my favourite photos I took all trip! Really proud of this.
I love the glass, the light, the view, the shadows..!

Look at that smile, that's what a museum visit does to you! Happy girl!