Tony Albert - Unalienable

Tony Albert explores the concept of ‘unalienable’ (incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another) with a series of poignant photographs titled Mid Century Modern, composed of soiled, brightly hues ‘Aboriginalia’ ash trays. In UNALIENABLE the large scale photographs are playfully contrasted with 1,500 inflatable toy aliens, filling the exhibition floor space and beckoning the audience to become ‘aliens’ themselves. The exhibition will also include graphic works created from a residency at Cicada Press, University of Sydney. ARTIST BIO: Born in 1981 in Townsville over the past 10 years Tony Albert has achieved extraordinary visibility and much critical acclaim for his visual art practice, which combines text, video, drawing, painting and three-dimensional objects. Examining the legacy of racial and cultural misrepresentation, particularly of Australia’s Aboriginal people, Albert has developed a universal language that seeks to rewrite historical mistruths and injustice. This year Tony was awarded a prestigious residency at the International Studio & Curatorial Program in New York and unveiled a major new monument in Sydney’s Hyde Park dedicated to Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander military service. He was also awarded the 2016 Fleurieu Art Prize, with his winning work, The Hand You’re Dealt With.