In memoriam Gordon Bennett 1955 2014
The Australia Council acknowledges the passing of contemporary Indigenous visual artist Gordon Bennett. Mr Bennett received international acclaim as one of Australia’s most significant and critically engaged contemporary artists. His work has been exhibited at prestigious exhibitions internationally, most recently at the Berlin Biennale 2014 and dOCUMENTA 13, as well as many of Australia’s major state and national institutions.
Throughout his 30 year career Mr Bennett made a substantial contribution to the Australian arts scene examining Australia’s history and constructed representations of our society through his practice. He is recognised for his powerful perspectives on the post colonial experience, with much of his work mapping alternative histories and questioning racial categorisations and stereotypes. Mr Bennett’s art practice is interdisciplinary and encompasses painting, photography, printmaking, video, performance and installation.
Australia Council Board Director Lee-Ann Buckskin acknowledged that Gordon Bennett’s work had awakened a new code of artistic language through the exploration of Aboriginal urbanism identity and nationhood. Mr Bennett’s unique style of abstract, postmodernist art influenced how we see and describe ourselves, inspiring a generation of Aboriginal artists to challenge stereotypes and the political status quo.
The Australia Council expresses its deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
