Gordon Hookey (Waanyi, Australia)

Art Gallery of New South Wales

Gordon Hookey belongs to the Waanyi people and locates his art at the interface where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures converge. Hookey’s perspective comes from a divergent, activist positioning – his work challenges hierarchies, skewering the status and integrity of the ‘elite’, while working to bolster the position of the marginalised and oppressed. He is a core member of Indigenous collective proppaNOW alongside fellow artists including Richard Bell, Vernon Ah Kee and Jennifer Herd.  

Hookey explicitly attacks the establishment and implicates our current political representatives. His work is best known for its biting satire of Australia’s political landscape, its leaders and representatives, combining figurative characters, iconic symbols, bold comic-like text, and a spectrum of vibrant colours.