WHEN : 11 June at 10:00 – 07 August at 16:00
WHERE : UQ Art Museum -James and Mary Emelia Mayne Centre (Building 11) University Drive
WAITING FOR ASYLUM: FIGURES FROM AN ARCHIVE
Ten years since the Siev X tragedy, asylum seekers still provoke strong
political, emotional and ideological responses across all ranks of Australian
society. Working with the Fryer Library archive of refugee ephemera,
…collaborating artists Ross Gibson and Carl Warner interpret the precarious
position of the asylum seeker in Australia past and present.
Curators: Dr Prue Ahrens and Michele Helmrich
Project Researcher: Professor Gillian Whitlock
COLLABORATIVE WITNESS: ARTISTS’ RESPONSES TO THE PLIGHT OF THE ASYLUM SEEKER AND REFUGEE
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
JOHN YOUNG: SAFETY ZONE
In 1937, during the ‘Rape of Nanjing’, a group of 21 foreigners saved the
lives of some 300,000 Chinese citizens by sheltering them in the city’s
international ‘Safety Zone’. John Young’s exhibition responds to this
little-known but great humanitarian event, and is the latest in his series
dedicated to cross-cultural humanitarianism.
‘John Young: Safety Zone’ has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Professor Gillian Whitlock’s research has been supported by the Australian
Research Council and the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), The University of Queensland.
