Australian Pavilion, Australia at Venice Biennale of Art - Giardini, Castello - City of Venice
(Photo: Archie Moore / kith and kin 2024 / Australia Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024 / Photographer: Andrea Rossetti / © the artist / Image courtesy of the artist and The Commercial)
Exhibition in progress from April 20th to November 26th 2024
The 60th Biennale Arte will open to the public on April 20. But on the 17th, 18th and 19th there will be the various events and collateral events that always enliven
suddenly Venetian artistic life. The awards ceremony will take place the day of opening to the public.
The title of the 60th edition of the Art Biennale is Foreigners Everywhere - Foreigners Everywhere.
The exhibition will be divided into between the Central Pavilion in the Giardini and the Arsenale, including 213 artists from 88 nations. There are 26 Italian artists, 180 first participations in the International Exhibition, 1433 works and objects on display, 80 new productions.
Go to the page of the 60th Venice Art Biennale
Curator of the 60th Venice Art Biennale
The 2024 edition is curated by Adriano Pedrosa.
Adriano Pedrosa, curator of the 60th Venice Art Biennale
– Adriano Pedrosa (born 1965) is a Brazilian curator. He is the artistic director of the São Paulo Art Museum (MASP) and the 2024 Venice Biennale.
Australian Pavilion, Australia at 60th Biennale Arte of Venice
The title of the exhibition at the Australian Pavilion is kith and kin.
Artists: Archie Moore.
Curators: Ellie Buttrose.
Commissioner: Creative australia. Creative australia is the australian government’s principal arts investment and
advisory body
Seat: Australian Pavilion, Giardini - Venice
Press Release of Australian Pavilion
kith and kin; an enveloping artwork created in situ by first nations artist
archie moore, premieres at the australia pavilion at the 60th international art
exhibition – la biennale di venezia. commissioned by creative australia,
the exhibition is curated by ellie buttrose and is on view from 20 april – 24
november 2024.
in kith and kin, moore transforms the australia pavilion with an expansive,
genealogical chart spanning 65,000+ years. drawing on his kamilaroi,
bigambul, british and scottish heritage, the installation embodies moore’s
enduring exploration of history and identity, central themes in his artistic
practice spanning over 30 years. his work brings international awareness to
the vitality of first nations kinship, in spite of facing systemic injustices since
british invasion in 1770. kith and kin provides audiences with the first
significant opportunity to experience a solo exhibition of moore’s art outside
of australia.
hand-drawn in white chalk, the genealogical chart unfolds across the
pavilion’s five-metre-high black walls that run 60 metres in length, illustrating
moore’s lineage stretching back more than 2,400 generations. derived from
the artist’s research with family, community and archivists, this intricate map
of relations reflects the unique familial structures of first nations australians
that includes all living things, and affirms their status as some of the longestcontinuous living cultures in the world. extending across the pavilion’s black
ceiling, the inscribed names resemble a celestial map; evoking the ancestors’
resting place. in the first nations australian understanding of time; the past,
present and future are co-present. by placing tens of thousands of years of kin
on a single continuum, moore makes this notion visible to audiences.
the chart is also a stark representation of the decline in first nations australian
languages and dialects under colonisation. over 254 years the numbers have
plummeted from as many as 700 to around 160, due to prohibitions on first
language use, land dispossession and the killing of kin in colonial warfare.
countering this, moore enacts language maintenance through his use of
gamilaraay (the kamilaroi nation’s language) and bigambul kinship terms.
kith and kin illustrates the shift from indigenous to european languages, the
translation of oral languages to written text, and the introduction of racial
categories and slurs. moments of erasure amidst the names represent the
atrocities inflicted upon first nations communities, such as massacres, the
introduction of diseases and destruction of knowledge, that have all produced
intergenerational trauma. in response, moore’s choice of educational materials
— fragile chalk on blackboard — addresses the insufficient dissemination of
first nations histories.
a reflective pool, at the centre of the pavilion, evokes the atmosphere of a
memorial and pays tribute to the injustices still faced by first nations peoples
today. suspended above it are more than 500 document stacks containing
mainly coronial inquests on the deaths of indigenous australians in police
custody, dated in our lifetime. despite first nations australians being just 3.8%
of australia’s population, they account for 33% of its prison population, making
them among the most incarcerated people globally. surrounded by the
limitless family tree, viewers are reminded that the reports do not represent
nameless statistics; rather, they are children, siblings, cousins, parents,
uncles, aunts, grandparents and great-grandparents.
moore’s artwork bridges the personal and the political. amid the contemporary
coroners’ reports are historic documents with specific references to the artist’s
family. these include a court conviction from when moore’s great uncle
accidentally killed his father during a fight over their paltry wages; and reports
press release page 4/8 australia pavilion venice biennale 2024
by the protector of aboriginals denying moore’s grandparents access to rights
that non-indigenous citizens enjoyed — such as freedom of movement. these
bureaucratic papers evidence how pernicious laws and government policies
have long been imposed upon first nations peoples, emphasising the
connection between the current incarceration epidemic and historic injustices.
while many of the stories in kith and kin are specific to the artist’s family, they
mirror narratives throughout the world. through this lens, moore highlights our
shared ancestry and humanity: through the interconnectedness of people,
place and time.
bringing together leading artists, curators, and writers on thursday 18 april at
fondazione querini stampalia, ‘in discussion with kith and kin’ is a series of
panel discussions that invite audiences to engage in greater depth with the
themes that underpin moore’s australia pavilion; first nations language
maintenance, and art’s role in abolition movements. these conversations are
presented by creative australia in partnership with artreview and fondazione
querini stampalia and feature: kith and kin artist archie moore, and curator
ellie buttrose; first nations australian writers daniel browning, djon mundine
oam, and lorena allam; curators of the hãhãwpuá (brazilian) pavilion, arissana
pataxó, denilson baniwa, and gustavo caboco wapichana; artist hank willis
thomas; heather ahtone, director of curatorial affairs, first americans museum;
and türkiye pavilion artist gülsün karamustafa.
ellie buttrose said:
‘the names of thousands upon thousands of archie’s
kamilaroi and bigambul forebears engulf the australia
pavilion, declaring the artist’s sovereignty and that of his
people. kith and kin reaches so far back into time that it
includes the common ancestors of every human and all
living entities — a timely reminder that we all have kinship
responsibilities to one another. the simultaneity of past,
present and future underpins the first nations australian
understanding of time. by placing 65,000+ years of family
on a single continuum, kith and kin immerses audiences
in the co-presence of the ancestors and co-existence of
time — by doing so archie generously enfolds each of us
into the everywhen.’
creative australia executive director first nations
arts and culture franchesca cubillo said:
‘archie moore’s exhibition at the australia pavilion
showcases the depth and resilience of first nations arts and
continuing culture. kith and kin offers profound insights into
the interconnectedness of all peoples, underpinned by the
rich tapestry of first nations australian culture. it is vital that
these stories and the act of first nations truth-telling can
take place at such an important global platform. in this spirit,
alongside the exhibition, there will be a program of talks
expanding upon archie moore’s exhibition held in
partnership with artreview at fondazione querini stampalia.
we hope these vital conversations led by first nations
australian voices and internationally significant curators and
artists increase global awareness and foster action for the
issues facing first nations australians.’
following the exhibition in the australia pavilion, the queensland art gallery |
gallery of modern art (qagoma) plans to present kith and kin as part of its
2025-26 program.
the kith and kin exhibition has been developed by the artist and curator
with exhibition design consultant kevin o’brien and exhibition digital designer
sebastian adams.
the kith and kin publication features entries by the artist, sharing childhood
memories of family; and acclaimed writer melissa lucashenko; along with new
essays by distinguished curator and writer djon mundine oam; professor, legal
expert, and writer larissa behrendt oa; professor macarena gómez-barris; and
kith and kin curator ellie buttrose. the book includes a roundtable discussion
with the artist, curator, dhangatti and gumbayngirr speaker and indigenous
language expert doctor raymond kelly, linguistics professor felicity meakins,
anthropologist emeritus professor diane bell and bundjalung editor grace
lucas-pennington. the graphic design work is by stuart geddes and žiga testen
and it is edited by archie moore, ellie buttrose and grace lucas-pennington.
the kith and kin website hosts videos discussing the exhibition and moore’s
wider practice that feature the artist, curator; curator and writer djon mundine
oam; creative australia executive director, first nations arts and culture,
franchesca cubillo; professor, broadcaster, and writer, larissa behrendt ao;
director of the guggenheim abu dhabi project, stephanie rosenthal; and senior
curator of aboriginal and torres strait islander art at the national gallery of
australia, tina baum. it also includes educational activities responding to the
artwork conceived by emma hicks and merindah funnell and features
gamiliaraay translations by donna mclaren. the graphic design work is by
stuart geddes and žiga testen with jake bonin.
Useful information for the visit
Hours:
Gardens from 10.00 to 19.00. Arsenale from 10.00 to 19.00 (from 10.00 to 20.00 on Friday and Saturday until September 30th). Closed on Mondays (except April 22, June 17, July 22, September 2, September 30, October 31, November 18).
Tickets: please visit the official website.
Phone: +39.041.5218711; fax +39.041.2728329
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: Biennale
of Venice |
