Collaborative witness: Artists' responses to the plight of the asylum seeker and refugee
Imagine a raft 2003
oil on linen
Private collection, Brisbane
Reproduced courtesy of the artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
11 June – 7 August 2011
Intense media coverage of events surrounding asylum seekers creates witnesses of all Australians. Through multiple styles and materials, artists challenge one-dimensional portrayals and become not only witnesses, but also collaborators on the complex story of those seeking asylum. Works produced over the past decade question the nation’s response to the plight of the refugee. Artists include Benjamin Armstrong, Lyndell Brown and Charles Green, Jon Cattapan, Tim Johnson and Karma Phuntsok, Rosemary Laing, David Ray, Judy Watson, and Guan Wei.
Curators: Dr Prue Ahrens and Michele Helmrich