Over the last decade, Michael Cook has produced photo media works that interrogate the legacy of colonisation in Australia. From his reflections on the political leadership of Australia and his revisioning of colonial history; to his rethinking of assimilation and the great Australian dream, Cook has consistently made images that ask the viewer to reconsider Australia’s conflicted history and its impact on the political, social and personal of our present day.
The exhibition included over 70 works selected from the series’ Through my eyes (2009), Broken dreams (2010), Undiscovered (2010), Stickman (2011), The mission (2012), Civilised (2012), Majority rule (2014), Object (2015), Mother (2016), Invasion (2017), and Livin’ the dream (2020) and traced Cook’s unique practice over this time.
The exhibition relaunched UniSC Art Gallery after a period of closure for redevelopment.
Installation view of Michael Cook: Undiscovered at UniSC Art Gallery. Photo: Carl Warner.
In conversation: Michael Cook and Megan Williams
6pm, Thursday 5 November 2020 (Online)
Publication
Michael Cook 2010-2020 provides an overview of Cook's first decade of practice with essays by Djon Mundine OAM FAHA and Megan Williams and an interview with Hamish Sawyer.