Atong Atem’s exhibition Banksia will be on show at Gosford Regional Gallery from February 24 to April 15.
As part of the Hometown series, the exhibition, visiting from Melbourne’s MARS Gallery, recognises the practices of artists with connection to the Central Coast.
Atem was raised on the Central Coast and attended Lisarow High School and Banksia explores the lesser-known history of Australia’s first African settlers and considers migrant stories from a non-colonial perspective.
The video and photographic works highlight the experience of African men and women who arrived on the First Fleet in 1788 — a colonial history that started long before Atem’s own family arrived from South Sudan in 1997.
In fostering a deeper understanding of the experiences of Australia’s first African migrants, Atem interrogates the shaping of national policy, through the centuries, which has directly influenced who is determined to be Australian and non-Australian.
Atong Atem is an Ethiopian born, South Sudanese artist and writer living in Naarm/Melbourne.
Her work explores the inherent intimacy of portraiture and photography as well as the role photographers take as storytellers.
She has exhibited her work widely across Australia and internationally, including recent exhibitions at the TATE Modern, Wereld Museum Rotterdam and regional exhibitions at UQ Art Gallery, Tweed Gallery and Adelaide Perry Gallery.
In 2022, Atem received the La Prairie Art Award and in 2018, she was the recipient of the National Gallery of Victoria and MECCA M-Power scholarship.