Vernon Ah Kee Yidindji Tribe. Circa. 2007
Courtesy the artist and Bellas Milani Gallery, Brisbane
Vernon Ah Kee: Cantchant
8 December 2007 - 2 February 2008
Institute of Modern Art
Known for his incisive critiques of White Australian culture, Brisbane-based indigenous artist Vernon Ah Kee unveils his new project, Cantchant, at the Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Brisbane, on 8 December 2007. It runs until 2 February 2008.
In Cantchant Ah Kee takes on the iconic subject of the beach, casting a critical eye on its special role in forming Australian identity. As the Cronulla riots demonstrated, racism remains deeply-rooted in the Australian psyche. Casting themselves as indigenous, white yobbos attacked more recent immigrants chanting, 'We grew here, you flew here'. Cantchant pushes aside the commonsense of the beach as a destination for leisure, relaxation and fun, and presents it as a cultural battleground.
This exhibition may surprise those familiar with Ah Kee’s previous works, his chic polemical wall-texts and traditionally drafted realist portraits. Cantchant includes surfboards painted with north Queensland rainforest shield designs and a video installation featuring dead boards (waterlogged surfboards) blasted by guns, Aboriginal surfers and wrestling.
http://www.ima.org.au/
