Lot 38

Department of Aboriginal & Islander Affairs, Brisbane
The Collection of Peter Bellas, Brisbane

Gordon Bennett, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane, 7 - 25 May 1991

Compassion Calms the Rage, Courier Mail, 14 May, 1991
Southern Crossings: Empty Land in the Australian Image, Camerawork, London, 1992

"Gordon Bennett's bold and humane art challenged racial stereotypes and provoked critical reflection on Australia's official history and national identity. Bennett was one of Australia's most significant and critically engaged contemporary artists, addressing issues relating to the role of language and systems of thought in forging identity. He rejected racial stereotypes and freed himself from being categorised as an Indigenous artist by creating an ongoing pop art inspired alter ego, John Citizen, who he considered to be 'an abstraction of the Australian Mr Average, the Australian Everyman'." (The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney)

 © The Estate of Gordon Bennett managed by John Citizen Arts Pty Ltd