Un–Discipline

As a co-founder of the Brisbane-based Aboriginal art collective proppaNOW and longstanding political activist, Richard Bell has developed a distinct practice that confronts the social and cultural structures underpinning race relations in Australia.

In the We're not series, created early in his career, Bell challenges the stereotypes and assumptions that have shaped perceptions of Aboriginal identity. Pairing blunt declarative statements with references to different nationalities, he exposes the absurdity of defining people through simplistic labels while highlighting the ways Indigenous peoples have been positioned as “other” within their own country. Characteristically direct and provocative, these works demonstrate Bell’s sharp use of language as a tool for political and cultural critique. They challenge the foundations of racism, colonial attitudes and institutional power.

Peter Japanangka Blacksmith was among the founding generation of artists associated with the Warlpiri art movement at Lajamanu in the Northern Territory, a movement defined by the translation of ancestral stories and cultural knowledge into contemporary forms. While best known for his paintings on canvas and board, Painted sandshoes demonstrates the artist's willingness to extend customary painting practices beyond conventional painting mediums. Applying hand-painted dotting and ceremonial designs to a pair of everyday canvas shoes, Blacksmith brings together Indigenous cultural expression and a mass-produced consumer object. The work reflects the adaptability and vitality of Aboriginal artistic traditions, and challenges the distinctions between art and everyday life.

The Blak Laundry is a performance-based collaboration between Dominique Chen and Libby Harward that reimagines galleries and public spaces as working laundromats. Their interventions provide a space to hold conversations about sovereignty, cultural labour, capitalism and everyday Blak life. The works shown here—It all comes out in the wash bub, Rager social fabric softener and Blak Laundry Rules—are material traces of these events, employing the visual language of household products, signage and agitprop to encourage public dialogue and collective reflection. Playful yet incisive, the collective's practice uses humour and participation to explore identity, community and care while celebrating Blak resilience, joy and self-determination.