A new touring exhibition, Ever Present: First Peoples Art of Australia, opens on 9 December at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA).
Announced by the AGWA, the exhibition, drawn from the collections of the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) and the Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art, features historical and contemporary works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across Australia.
The AGWA said the exhibition featured more than 100 works by 80 artists and together, the works underlined the ever-present existence of the First Peoples of Australia.
Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the NGA, Tina Baum said Ever Present celebrated the creativity, diversity, strength, resilience and pride of early and contemporary Indigenous artists.
“It highlights their artistic, cultural, social and political expressions that reinforce their time immemorial connections and their ever-present presence in this country,” Ms Baum said.
“Although a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, Ever Present does not shy away from Australia’s complex histories,” she said.
Ms Baum said the artists contested populist views of Australian history “using art as a tool of resistance and replacing physical weaponry with wit, satire and juxtaposition to confront viewers and encourage conversations”.
Director of the AGWA, Colin Walker said for many decades, the Gallery had brought the art and cultural material of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the people of Western Australia.
“We’re delighted to continue with Ever Present — an outstanding exhibition celebrating the work of over 80 artists from some of the most profound art-making communities and areas across the country,” Mr Walker said.
Ever Present opens on 9 December and runs until 18 April 2022.
