Brook Andrew (born 1970 in
Sydney, Australia
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...
) is an Australian
contemporary artist
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...
.
Work
Andrew has exhibited internationally since 1996. His work focuses on Western narratives, especially relating to
colonialism
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
in the Australian context, and consists of interdisciplinary works, video, sculpture, photography and immersive installations. In 2014 he worked closely with the collections of the
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia Museo may refer to:
* Museo, 2018 Mexican drama heist film
*Museo (Naples Metro)
Museo is a station on line 1 of the Naples Metro. It was opened on 5 April 2001 as the eastern terminus of the section of the line between Vanvitelli and Museo. O ...
,
Museo de América
The (English: Museum of America) is a Spanish national museum of arts, archaeology and ethnography in Madrid. Its collections cover the whole of the Americas and range from the Paleolithic period to the present day.
It is owned by the Spanish S ...
and Museo Nacional de Antropología for the exhibition ''Really Useful Knowledge'' at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, to create an immersive installation, ''A Solid Memory of the Forgotten Plains of our Trash and Obsessions'', reflecting on Spanish, British and Australian history and colonialism. In 2015, Andrew created ''The Weight of History, A Mark in Time'' at
Barangaroo
Barangaroo was the second wife of Bennelong, who was interlocutor between the Aboriginal people and the early British colonists in New South Wales. Barangaroo was a member of the Cammeraygal clan. While Bennelong spent considerable time in th ...
in Sydney, incorporating Aboriginal art with modern landscapes and architecture.
Andrew was awarded a 2017 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship and completed a term as a Photography Residencies Laureate at
Musée du quai Branly, Paris, investigating the relationship between the colonial photographer and the sitter. His other research includes an international comparative three-year
Australian Research Council
The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the primary non-medical research funding agency of the Australian Government, distributing more than in grants each year. The Council was established by the ''Australian Research Council Act 2001'', ...
grant called ''Representation, Remembrance and the Monument'', responding to calls for a national memorial to Aboriginal loss and the
frontier wars.
Andrew and his collaborator Trent Walter will complete Australia's first official government-supported memorial to the frontier wars, where
Tunnerminnerwait
Tunnerminnerwait (c.1812–1842) was an Australian Aboriginal resistance fighter and Parperloihener clansman from Tasmania. He was also known by several other names including Peevay, Jack of Cape Grim, Tunninerpareway and renamed Jack Napoleon Ta ...
and Maulboyheener, the first two Aboriginal men to be hanged in Melbourne, will be installed adjacent Melbourne Gaol.
In 2018, Andrew was announced as the Artistic Director of the 22nd
Biennale of Sydney
The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...
for 2020. NIRIN, the title of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney translates to ‘edge’ in
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, ...
, the language of Andrew’s mother. As artistic director of this Biennale, Andrew exhibits and celebrates not only Australia’s indigenous cultures but also those of First Nations artists and communities from around the world. As the artist has explained, 'I am interested in challenging the narratives around what sovereignty means for Indigenous peoples, and other alternative narratives, not just around Indigeneity.'
References
*https://web.archive.org/web/20160515234941/http://www.brookandrew.com/bibliogaphy/
External links
*
Artists from Sydney
Australian Aboriginal artists
Living people
1970 births
Wiradjuri people
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