The work in this touring exhibition, POWER – The Future is Here, is the result of a collaboration between artist Dennis Golding and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from Alexandria Park Community School. The superhero capes were created during a workshop in 2020, led by Golding who was an artist in residence at the school through Solid Ground. Students from Kindergarten to Year 12 designed their capes with iconography informed by their lived experiences and cultural identity.
As superheroes, Golding and his young collaborators are empowered and reminded of the strength of their culture in forming their identity and connection to Country. Individually and together, the capes critique social, political and cultural representations of contemporary First Nations experience.
Curated by Kyra Kum-Sing.
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About the artist
Dennis Golding is a Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist from the northwest of NSW and was born and raised on Gadigal land (Redfern, Sydney). Through his mother’s lineage Dennis also has ancestral ties to Biripi country situated along the mid-north coast of NSW.
Working in a range of mixed media including painting, video, photography and installation, Golding critiques the social, political, and cultural representations of race and identity. His practice is drawn from his own experiences living in urban environments and through childhood memories.
Golding was surrounded by art from his urban upbringing living in an Aboriginal community in Redfern (often referred to as ’The Block’). As a young child, he often watched his mother and grandmother paint on large canvas and sheen fabrics which depicted Australian native plants and animals, cultural motifs, and human figures. Golding developed his professional practice in art school through mentorships with leading curators, educators, and artists. Golding graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at UNSW Art & Design in 2019 and now works independently as an artist and curator.
Since graduating Golding was awarded the Create NSW Visual Arts Fellowship 2020 and has exhibited at many major institutions including the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Living Museums, and Carriageworks. Golding’s work can also be seen around Sydney in many public art installations. Golding also co-founded the Re-Right Collective with Carmen Glynn-Braun.
Through his artistic and curatorial practice, Golding aims to present powerful representations of contemporary Aboriginal cultural identity that inform narratives of history and lived experiences.
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Education Resource
An education resource has been written by Jaz Corr, Dharawal Visual Artist and Educator, to accompany the touring exhibition.
The resource includes practical and theory-based activities designed for preschool and above, however it may be used by audiences of all ages and some activities can be modified for varying levels of learning. This resource is suitable for use before or after visiting the gallery or can be used as part of an outreach program in conjunction with the video resources – How to Make a Cape Workshop with Dennis Golding and In Conversation with Dennis Golding and Kyra Kum-Sing.
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Dual Exhibition launch event – Friday 5 June, alongside Seth Birchall: Unseen Cosmic Clock.
5.30pm: exhibition walk-through with exhibiting artist Seth Birchall in Gallery 1 and special guest Kyra Kum-Sing, curator of POWER – The Future is Here, in Gallery 2.
6.00pm: opening event with a Welcome to Country by Djiringanj elder Aunty Glenda Dixon and opening remarks by Bega Valley Shire Councillor Helen O’Neil.
Free event. All welcome.
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A Solid Ground project with Dennis Golding and Alexandria Park Community School, curated by Kyra Kum-Sing, presented by Carriageworks and Blacktown Arts, and touring with Museums & Galleries of NSW. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.