IN THE GALLERY: Coming To America

Vincent Namatjira

29 Jun - 27 Jul 2019

We are pleased to present Coming To America, Vincent Namatjira’s fifth solo presentation with THIS IS NO FANTASY. 

‘In late 2018 I travelled to the USA to attend Art Basel Miami, where I was the first Indigenous Australian artist to present a solo exhibition at this prestigious art fair. This was my first time travelling outside of Australia and a huge experience for me. I wanted to call this exhibition ‘Coming to America’ after the classic Eddie Murphy comedy from 1988. Like Murphy’s character Prince Akeem, I felt a bit like a stranger in a strange land when I visited LA and Miami – I actually felt a bit like Crocodile Dundee too, a bloke from the bush travelling the big city. It was a strange feeling to visit some of the iconic places (like the Hollywood Hills or Walk of Fame) that you’ve seen so many times in TV and movies – I’ve inserted the Aboriginal flag into all of these paintings to show that these aren’t just tourist happy-snap selfies, these self-portraits are about pride, presence, strength and resilience – these attributes travel with me wherever I go, whether it’s within Australia or anywhere around the world.’ – Vincent Namatjira, 2019