Terra Alterius: Land of Another

Imagine how different Australia would be if it had been recognised as terra alterius, land of another, rather than treated as terra nullius, land of no-one.
Ivan Dougherty Gallery presents Terra Alterius: Land of Another, comprising newly commissioned and recently created works by 12 leading Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian artists invited to consider Australia as terra alterius.
Terra Alterius: Land of Another will present glimpses of the history, culture and presence of another Australia, one where European and Indigenous cultures first meet and respect each other’s existence, difference, law and culture. The exhibition provides a new approach to the debates surrounding previous, current and future Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships and rights, as visitors explore and engage with imaginary alternatives.
The exhibition consists of contemporary artworks in a wide range of media including painting, interactive new media, ceramics, installation, fibre and sculpture. Lynette Wallworth has created an interactive video installation that allows viewers to move amongst a natural habitat of native birds and in doing so, disrupt a sensitive environment by their presence and actions. Esme Timbury’s witty repatriation of Australian national icons within her traditional Bidjigal land is steeped with the artist’s intimate knowledge of her country, and Guan Wei will create a seven metre depiction of a Chinese discovery of Australia on the gallery wall. Julie Dowling’s confrontational portraits “stare out at us directly demanding a response” and tell the bi-cultural lived reality of Aboriginal people, and increasingly of non-Aboriginal people. Other artists include Gordon Bennett, Barbara Campbell-Allen, Shaun Gladwell + Michael Schiavello, Jonathan Jones, Joanne Searle, Freddie Timms, and Lena Yarinkura.
Terra Alterius: Land of Another creates fertile ground to answer the question: what might a reconciled Australia be like?
This is art with a truly utilitarian purpose: it actively examines scenarios that otherwise could not be realised or discussed. “Terra Alterius is a place outside our everyday lives, a place outside the conventions of Australian society, politics and law, or fear arising from the demands of risk or self-interest. Experiencing Terra Alterius and returning to the familiar, we can no longer take everyday things for granted. We are able to imagine something else entirely” says the exhibition’s curator, Margaret Farmer.
Terra Nullius: Land of No-one will be shaken to its core.

Public Programs

Symposium: The Possibilities of Terra Alterius

Links