CrownLand began as a conversation between artists that shifted and turned a few times, moving between issues that punctuate public and private life consistently. Featuring artists Karla Dickens, Megan Cope, Vincent Namatjira, Ben Quilty, Andrew Quilty, and Jake Chapman, this exhibition vigorously engages in discussions of sovereignty and power; complex conversations that are as nuanced and idiosyncratic as the communities we live in. It is also filled with affectionate humour and grim irony.
A highlight is Dickens’ photographs of local Elders adorned by self-made crowns that carry Country.
Karla Dickens, Aunty Marge Westall – Wonnarua Elder – Our much loved, respected, appreciated and oldest living Wonnarua Elder, 2023, digital photograph, 150 × 100cm. Photograph: Clare Hodgins. Courtesy the artist and Maitland Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales
Maitland Regional Art Gallery
26 August to 5 November 2023
New South Wales
