BIOGRAPHY
Gordon Hookey was born in Cloncurry, Queensland in 1961. Hookey belongs to the Waanyi people. He has received a BFA from The University of New South Wales and a Master of Visual Arts from Griffith University. His work has been exhibited throughout Australia and internationally at venues including, documenta 14; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Milani Gallery, Queensland; UQ Art Museum, Brisbane; and National Art Museum of China, Beijing. Hookey’s work is held in major collections including the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art and University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; National Gallery of Australia and Australian National University, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; University of Technology, Sydney; Cleveland Shire Council, Cleveland, England; Osaka Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan, University of Alberta, Canada; and a number of significant private collections. Hookey currently lives and works in Brisbane, Australia.
EDUCATION
2012
Master of Visual Arts, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
1991
Bachelor of Fine Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022
Gordon Hookey: A Murriality, UNSW Galleries, Sydney, Australia and Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia.
2021
Sacred Nation, Scared Nation, Fort Gansevoort, New York, NY.
Gordon Hookey: Paintings, Sculpture and Video, Milani Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2017
Wellaroo, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
2015
Extant, Artrageous, Deagon, Australia.
2014
Gordon Hookey: Kangaroo Crew, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia.
2012
Graduation Exhibition, Whitebox Gallery, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
Recent Sculpture and Drawing, Milani Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2010
Recent Drawings: The Kangaroo Series, Nellie Caston Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.
2009
“WHICHWAY!...?’’, Milani Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2008
“a ready made joke”, Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne, Australia.
2007
So Fist Tick Catered Phenomenaah, Bellas Milani Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
Contempt Free Hart, Contemporary Arts, Umbrella Studio, Townsville, Australia.
Con Ject Charr-Jarr-Yarh-”Arrgh”, Koorie Heritage Trust Inc, Melbourne, Australia.
2006
Kopatai Project Space, Port Chalmers, Dunedin, New Zealand.
2005
www.gordonhoo.com, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.
2001
Ruddocks Wheel, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
In Ya Face (with Gordon Syron), Boomali Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, Sydney, Australia.
2000
Untitled, Villa Van Delden, Ahaus, Germany.
1998
Furious (with Andy Lelei), Casula Powerhouse Art Centre, Sydney, Australia.
1996
Terraism, Red Shed Gallery, Adelaide, Australia.
1995
Interface Inya Face, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, Australia.
1994
Canadian Exchange, Arthaus, Sydney, Australia.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022
Just Not Australian, Walkway Gallery, Bordertown, Australia
Temporary display, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, MO.
2021
10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia.
2019
Just Not Australian, Artspace, Sydney, Australia.
2018
Frontier Imaginaries ed. 5: Trade Markings, Vanabbe Museum, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Continental Drift: From Blak to Black, CIAF, Cairns Art Gallery, Cairns, Australia.
2017
The National, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia.
dOCUMENTA 14, Athens, Greece and Kassel, Germany.
2016
Beyond the Tower: UQ Art Museum - 40 years and counting, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia.
Frontier Imaginaries, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia.
2015
Out of Queensland: New Indigenous Textiles, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, Australia.
2014
Conflict: Contemporary Responses to War, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia.
My Country, I Still Call Australia Home (Touring), Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki, Auckland, New Zealand.
FOUR ROOMS, Adelaide Festival, Tandanya, Adelaide, Australia.
proppaNOW – the black line, Bett Gallery, Hobart, Australia.
proppaNOW, Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm, Australia.
2013
NEW2013, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia.
Born to Concrete, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia.
My Country, I Still Call Australia Gome, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia.
2012
Propositions, Milani Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
Sculpture Is Everything, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia.
ANIMAL / HUMAN, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia.
Making Change—Exhibition of Australian Contemporary Image, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China.
2011
Ten Years of Contemporary Art: The James C Sourris AM Collection, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia.
The Black See, proppaNOW, Kickarts Contemporary Arts, Cairns, Australia.
Felix Australia, ICE Gallery at Crane Arts, Philadelphia, PA.
2010
Pay Attention: Tony Albert and Friends, City Gallery Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Jus’ Drawn, proppaNOW, Linden Contemporary Arts Centre, Melbourne & touring with NETS through regional Victoria until 2011, Australia.
PUTSCH, proppaNOW, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide Festival Visual Arts, Adelaide, Australia.
2009
I walk the line, New Australian Drawing, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia.
2008
Australian, Casula Powerhouse, Sydney, Australia.
Selected Recent Acquisitions, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia.
2007
Culture Warriors, National Indigenous Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra & touring in Australia and American University Museum, Washington, DC, until 2009.
The Amersham Trophy, proppaNOW, Ambleside Street Studio, West End, Brisbane, Australia.
Friendly Fire, proppaNOW Group, George Petelin Gallery, Gold Coast, Australia.
Power and Beauty: Indigenous Art Now, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, Australia.
2006
Urban Aboriginal Artists of NSW, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative Exhibition, Art Images Gallery, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide, Australia.
There Goes The Neighbourhood, proppaNOW, Ambleside Street Studio, Brisbane, Australia.
2004
On Reason and Emotion, Biennale of Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia.
Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne, Australia.
Colour Power, National Gallery of Victoria, The Ian Potter Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
Urban Aboriginal Artists of NSW, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative Exhibition, Art Images Gallery, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide, Australia.
2003
Con-Sen-Trick-Sir-Kills, Linden Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia.
One Square Mile, Museum of Brisbane, Australia.
Travelling Waters linking our Communities 11th Mil-Pra AECG, Aboriginal Exhibition and Art Award, Liverpool Regional Museum, Sydney, Australia.
Flannelette, Liverpool Regional Museum, Sydney, Australia.
2002
The History of Things to Come, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Common Ground, Hazelhurst Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
2001
Weaving Garden, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Caught in the Headlights, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
Intermission, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
Dingo Flat, Workshop and Exhibition, John Curtin Gallery, Perth, Australia.
Uncommon World, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia.
In Ya Face (with Gordon Syron), Boomali Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, Sydney, Australia.
2000
Aboriginal Expo 2000, Olympic Site, Sydney, Australia.
Mum Shirl Tribute Exhibition, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
Shop Front, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
Black 2 Basics, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
Comfort Zone, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
Beyond the Pale, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
1999
Reconcilliation, Lane Cover Culture and Music Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Black and White, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
1998
White Man Can’t Dance, Bangarra Theatre, Sydney, Australia.
Furious, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (residency), Sydney, Australia.
La Casa Musicale, Perpignan, France.
My Country, Fairfield Regional Heritage Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Fourth NATSI Heritage Award, Old Parliament House, Canberra, Australia.
Djarlaringi, Manly Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
Our Children, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Wake Naima, Djabai Cultural Centre, Noumea, New Caledonia, Australia.
1997
Off-Shore: On-site, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Black Letter Law, Touring Exhibition, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, Australia.
Black on Trac, Annual Members Exhibition, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative,Sydney, Australia.
Black Humour, (touring) Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, Australia.
1996
Finders Keepers, Margrove Heritage Centre, Cleveland, United Kingdom.
1995
Skin, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney, Australia.
Native Title, Touring Exhibition, Tandanya, Adelaide, Australia.
Power Games, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney, Australia.
NAIDOC Week on the Street, Paddington, Sydney, Australia.
16 Songs, (Touring Exhibition), The University Art Museums, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA.
Reactions, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
1994
3rd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Heritage Art Award, The Art of Place, Old Parliament House, Canberra, Australia.
Man Animal Man, Gorman House, Canberra, Australia.
Crossworks, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, Australia.
Naii Ngarrambi Wanggirali Nangi Dyannai Ngurui, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, Australia.
Neo Locula Collection, Arthaus, Sydney, Australia.
Urban Artyfact, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
1993
Dante in Australia, Centro Dantesco, Ravenna, Italy.
1992
Continuity, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney, Australia.
1991
Solid, The Works Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
1990
Maroochy Arts Festival, Maroochy Town Hall, Nambour, Australia.
GRANTS, AWARDS, AND HONORS
2022-2024
Jane Lombard Prize awarded to Indigenous Australian art collective proppaNOW.
2009
Albers Foundation Studio Residency, Bethany, Connecticut (Australia Council for the Arts).
2008
Casula Powerhouse Residency, Sydney, Australia.
Gertrude Street Contemporary Art Space and Studios Residency, Melbourne, Australia.
2007
Umbrella Studios Residency, Contemporary Arts, Townsville, Australia.
2006
Otago University Residency, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Banff Centre Residency, Banff, Canada.
2005
Deadly Award – Visual Artist of the Year.
2004
Casula Powerhouse Residency, Sydney, Australia.
1998
Emerging Artists Prize, 4th NATSI Heritage Art Award, Canberra, Australia.
1990
Maroochy Arts Prize, Maroochy, Australia.
COLLECTIONS
UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia
Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Finders University Adelaide, Australia
Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Liverpool City Council, Liverpool, Australia
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
University of Wollongong, Australia
AKT Consultancy, Brisbane, Australia
Cleveland Shire Council, Cleveland, United Kingdom
Djabai Cultural Centre Noumea, Australia
Jabal Centre Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Margrave Heritage Centre Cleveland, England, United Kingdom
Native Studies University of Alberta, Canada
Osaka Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan
Private Collections
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2023
Colbrook, Joe. “Two artists with ties to north west Queensland have shared their stories as part of a major exhibition”, The North West Star, February 27.
2022
“Witness art and ac"tivism on display with Museum if Brisbane's latest Artist in Residence - Gordon Hookey”, Australian Arts Review, November 9.
Hinchliffe, Joe. “Brisbane-based Indigenous art collective proppaNOW wins prestigious global prize”, The Guardian, October 21.
Kale, Neha. “Gordon Hookey’s epic series MURRILAND! was inspired by Congolese artist Tshibumba Kanda-Matulu’s rewriting of colonial history.” The Saturday Paper, August 6.
“Artists announced for the Gold Award 2022", Central Queensland Today, January 27.
2021
Clement, Tracey. “Gordon Hookey’s kangaroos with attitude are symbols of Indigenous resistance”, artguide Australia.
Schwendener, Martha. “4 Art Gallery Shows to See Right Now”, The New York Times, January 27.
“Gordon Hookey: Sacred Nation, Scared Nation”, Air Mail, January 27.
Chan, Dawn. “Two Artists, Continents Apart, and a Shared Language of Struggle”, The New York Times, January 22.
2020
Revell, Jack. “Waanyi artist Gordon Hookey has spent a lifetime raging against the system to explore these themes. The recent anniversary of Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay, and the events since, show why Hookey’s message matters more than ever”, Rolling Stone Australia, November 18.
2019
Shanahan, Rebecca. “Artists can’t help swearing in Just Not Australian”, artguide Australia, February 20.
Ziherl, Vivian. “Para Site Conference: Heritage and Dis/Possession”, Ocula, January 22.
2018
Balla, Paola. “Across Australia, Artists are Disrupting the Colonial Mindset”, Frieze Magazine, October 31.
2017
Grishin, Sasha. “The National: New Australian Art in Sydney shows works at three venues”, The Sydney Morning Herald, April 3.
“Murriland! by Gordon Hookey”, Robb Report, September 7.
Dege, Stefan. “Documenta art exhibition more political than ever”, Deutsche Welle, September.
Hookey, Gordon, Hendrik Folkerts, and Ziherl, Vivian. “How to Write Painting: A Conversation about History Painting, Language, and Colonialism with Gordon Hookey, Hendrik Folkerts, and Vivian Ziherl”, documenta 14, April.
2016
Bell, Richard. “Richard Bell on Gordon Hookey”, artasiapacific, March/April.
McLean, Ian. Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art, London, United Kingdom: Reaktion Books Ltd, pp. 237.
2014
“Rise of Indigenous art speaks volumes about class in Australia”, The Conversation, February 24.
2012
Chambers, Nicholas, and Kathryn E. Weir. Sculpture Is Everything, Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.
2011
Australia FELIX Catalogue, South Brisbane, Australia: Queensland College of Art.
McLean, Bruce. Good and Proppa: Urban Aboriginal Art from Queensland, 10 years of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Art Gallery.
2010
Munting, B. Gordon Hookey, Casula, Australia: Casula Powerhouse Arts Center.
Watkins, Philip, Bruce McLean, and Liz Nowell. Putsch, Adelaide: Australia: Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute.
Croft, Brenda. “Flash Gordon’s message: Language Is a Virus—The Kings English (Not)”, Artlink vol. 30, no. 1, p. 52–54.
2009
Heartney, E. “Identity and Locale”, Art in America, no. 5, May.
2006
Demozay, Marion. Gatherings II: Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from Queensland Australia, Southport, Australia: Keeairu Press.
2005
Nelson, R. “The serious art of fun”, The Age, May 18.
2004
Carlos, Isabel, and Carissa Rodriguez. On Reason and Emotion: Biennale of Sydney, Sydney, Australia: Biennale of Sydney.
“The art of politics”, Herald Sun, February.
“Gallery defends right to show painting”, Herald Sun, February.
“Gallery slammed for Painting Mocking Howard - Bush Ties”, Common Dreams News Centre, February.
“Art lampoon causes stink in Australia”, The Washington Times, February.
“Australian gallery defends right to display political painting”, ABC Radio Australia, February.
Ryan, Judith. Colour power: Aboriginal Art Post 1984 in the Collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia: National Gallery of Victoria.
Coslovich, G. “Box Office – (the best of art)”, The Age Magazine, October.
Kelly, J. “Art attack on PM Howard,” Herald Sun, February.
Liston, J. “The Personal is Political”, The Weekend Australian, June.
2003
Kidd, S. “A mild-mannered provocateur on the move”, The Emerald Hill Times, July.
Finnegan, A. “Border Panic: Open Channel on Refugees”, Artlink, vol. 23,no.1, p. 20.
Helmrich, Michele. One Square Mile: Brisbane Boundaries, Brisbane, Australia: Museum of Brisbane.
Thompson, C. “Operation Honesty - The Art of Gordon Hookey”, Con-Sent-Trick Sir- Kills exhibition catalogue essay, Linden - St Kilda Centre for Contemporary Art, July. MacDonald, Anna. Places That Name Us: RAKA Award: contemporary indigenous visual arts #3”, Melbourne, Australia: The Ian Potter Museum of Art, The University of Melbourne.
Munro, P. “Shirt that won the west - and selected outposts”, The Sydney Morning Herald, April.
2002
Madigan, M. “Students leap to save the PM from being depicted as a pig”, The Courier Mail, September.
Barkley, Glenn P., et al. Common Ground - Exploring the Royal National Park - The dramatic common ground shared by Southern Sydney and the Illawarra, Gymea, Australia: Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre.
“Controversial painting prompts racism row”, ABC News Online, September.
“Painting sparks outrage”, News Mail, September.
Genocchio, B. “Your Space or Mine?”, The Weekend Australian, November – December.
Hookey, Gordon. “Ruddocks Wheels”, Border Panic Reader, Sydney, Australia: Australia Network for Art and Technology,Performance Space, p. 70–72.
2000
James, B. “Festival’s King Hit”, Sydney Morning Herald, March.
Cochrane, P. “Festival of hope amid anger and reminders of sorry past”, Sydney Morning Herald, March.
Fitzgerald, M. “Renewing the country”, Time, April.
Broker, D. “Beyond the pale - Adelaide biennial of Australian Art”, Eyeline, Spring.
Billington, M. “Feast for the eyes”, The Guardian, March.
Croft, Brenda. Beyond the Pale: 2001 Adelaide Biennale of Australian Art, Adelaide, Australia: Art Gallery of South Australia.
Sandkötter, S. “Künstler stellen Entwürfe für das Ahauser Wandbild vor”, Wochenpost, May 24.
Usher, R. “History Rears its ugly head”, The Age.
McQueen, H. “Art can reveal but never resolve”, Art Monthly, April.
Mellor, D. “Review - beyond the pale”, Art and Australia, Spring.
Mendelssohn, J. “A Sorry storey”, The Bulletin, March.
Megaw, R&V. “Art indigenous and incredible”, Adelaide Advertiser, March.
McCullock-Uehlin, S. “Mind the gap”, The Weekend Australian, March.
Kean, J. “The diversity of practice - Political theatre in Beyond the Pale”, Artlink, vol. 20, no.1.
1999
McNamara, TJ. “Heroics from the Pacific edge”, The Weekend Herald, October.
James, B. “When the pen is mightier than the word”, Sydney Morning Herald, February.
1998
James, B. “Catching the lost wave”, Sydney Morning Herald, November.
Albert, J. “Laughter mixed with tears”, Australian Magazine, June.
Hanson. “Influence in Black Humour”, Northern Territory News, April.
1997
Jones, C. “Distinctly black”, Real Time, August/September.
Barron, S. “Provocative and timely humour”, The Canberra Times, July.
Musa, H. “A capital life”, The Canberra Times, October.
Proudfoot, C. “Aboriginal artists see funny side,” Canberra Times, July.
Radok, S. “Black humour”, Artlink, vol.18, no.3, Winter.
1996
Carver, A. “Naturally cultured/culturally natured: Recent dialogue between Aboriginal art and the environment”, Periphery, no. 26, February.
Shires, D. “Just see it”, Muse no. 163, July.
Whitton, S. “Bridging the gap through art”, Whitby Gazette, August 23.
1995
“Artist takes a dig at Manly”, The Manly Daily, January 28.
1994
Leach, D. “The Earth, Something That Belongs To Us”, The Leader.
1993
Slarke, Eileen. Dante in Australia: Trenta Artisti Austaliani Contemporanei interpretano Dante Alighieri, Ravenna, Italy: Centro Dantesco dei Frati Minori Conventuali.
Stegall, S. “Spirit Spirals and Samovers”, Tharunka.