Gordon Hookey

Gordon Hookey (b. 1961, Cloncurry, Queensland l. Meanjin/Brisbane) is one of Australia’s most enduring and political artists. Living and working in Brisbane, Hookey belongs to the Waanyi people Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures converge.

Hookey’s work combines figurative characters, iconic symbols, bold comic like text, and a spectrum of vibrant colours. Hookey’s perspective comes from a divergent, activist positioning – skewering the status and integrity of the ‘elite’ while working to bolster the position of the marginalised and oppressed. He is a core member of Brisbane-based Indigenous collective proppaNOW. His work is featured in public collections throughout Australia, including the National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of Western Australia, University of Queensland Art Museum, and many significant private collections.

Gordon Hookey is represented by Milani Gallery, Queensland

Tassietigahscene / A Pixel No.13 2022
Blood on the Green / Houses are Homes 2022
The Red Yella & Black / A Dot Painting No.184 2022
Good On’Ya! / Love 2022
Youcrane / Love 2022
Poohtin / A Dot Painting No.185 2022
Trumspeek / A Dot Painting No.186 2022
Trum’s Legacy / Yella Fella 2022
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas; wood dowels, traffic cones, castors
Courtesy the artist and Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane

Developed for the exhibition ‘Gordon Hookey: A MURRIALITY’ and supported by UNSW Galleries Commissioners Circle, the Gordon Darling Foundation and IMA Commissioners Circle.

For Gordon Hookey, public demonstrations represent the sincerest form of protest and are the logical setting for a practice that speaks back to authority. In 2020, Hookey embarked on creating placards and banners for community use, forging a connection between art and activism on social and political fronts.

While through form and subject the works are utilitarian, for Hookey, the newly produced banners have become artworks about, rather than instruments of protest. Each banner is designed with a primary scene or message on one side and a secondary reply on the reverse. Drawing inspiration from the assorted posters adorning Hookey’s Yeronga studio, these banners address issues such as land rights, refugee advocacy, revolutionary leaders, deaths in custody, health campaigns, and Indigenous excellence in sports, music, art, and theatre, all imbued with Hookey's distinctive sense of humour.

For the survey exhibition ‘Gordon Hookey: A Murriality’, Hookey was invited to revisit this practice with a new commission—a series of eight double-sided banners.