From January 13, 2017 Campbelltown Arts Centre and Sydney Festival present the first major exhibition by the late Myuran Sukumaran. Co-curated by Ben Quilty and Michael Dagostino, ‘Another day in Paradise’ features over 100 thought-provoking, politically-charged portraits painted by the artist during his incarceration, alongside newly commissioned artworks by seven leading Australian artists. The commissioned artworks explore the transformative power of art, the death penalty and profile human rights through multiple layers of social justice systems globally. Artists commissioned to present works include: Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Safdar Ahmed, Megan Cope, Jagath Dheerasekara, Taloi Havini, Khaled Sabsabi, and Matthew Sleeth.
Co-Curator Ben Quilty says: “Myuran’s artistic practice was sacred to him: Despite being faced with the most barbaric act of execution, Myuran maintained the most extraordinary dignity. It speaks a lot to the human condition and even more to the practice of art, he found solace in it. For Myuran, painting was his religion.”
Quilty adds that Myuran would be incredibly proud to be exhibiting works alongside some of Australia’s most innovative and interesting artists. “The act of creating also ensures a legacy, and Myuran was very aware that he had created a body of work that would go on, beyond his physical body. He went to his execution, knowing that he had created a visual language that would speak out against the barbarism of the death penalty around the world.”
Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch speaks of the exhibition’s capacity to deepen political conversations. “’Another Day in Paradise’ is a meditation on the power of art to redeem and a strong message of how capital punishment is a refusal to accept a person can change, can be rehabilitated and potentially offer back to a society a narrative of forgiveness.”
Campbelltown Arts Centre
13 January to 26 March, 2017
Sydney
Ben Quilty – Myuran Sukumaran Paintings
Photograph: Daniel Boud
Myuran Sukumaran, Self portrait
Courtesy Campbelltown Arts Centre, Sydney and Sydney Festival
