16 Nov ATONG ATEM | NGV Acquisition
Atong Atem, Adut, The Studio Series, 2015, digital print, 59.4 x 84.1 cm, Edition of 10 + 2 A/P
We are thrilled to announce that the National Gallery of Victoria will be acquiring 5 works from one of our represented artists, Atong Atem. The works to be acquired are from her 2015 Studio Series. From this organisation, Atong’s works will become an integral part of the NGV Contemporary Australian Collection and be toured, or leased, to a large-scale network of regional and metropolitan galleries all across Victoria.
Atong’s Studio Series is a body of work that explores the depths of identity, reflecting on her own and the collective experience of being a ‘black migrant’ in Melbourne. The photographs pay homage to previous photographers who rejected and counteracted the devastating power the colonialist white gaze held when representing its victim. It is a work that incites change in perspective and one that will allow a vast majority of people to understand how our history and preconceptions of others take a toll on others.
Her photographs have been collected through the Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists. Atem has exhibited her work across Australia, including MUMA Monash, Gertrude Contemporary, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and Internationally at Red Hook Labs in New York, Vogue Fashion Fair in Milan and Unseen Amsterdam art fair.
In 2020, Atong will also be showcasing new works from one of her latest projects, exhibited right here at MARS Gallery.
