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| Artist's Name: | Brook ANDREW |
| Brook
Andrew was born in Sydney in 1970 and is of the Wiradjuri nation. He undertook
a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of Western Sydney, Nepean
from 1991 to 1993. A self-described interdisciplinary artist, Andrew first
exhibited his work in 1992, in exhibitions including The Post Modern Experience
at the Casula Powerhouse, Western Sydney and Wring at The Performance
Space, Sydney. His work was included in Our Place: Australian People,
Australian Identity at the Australian Museum, Sydney in 1993. In 1994
he participated in Blakness: Blak City Culture! at the Australian Centre
for Contemporary Art, Melbourne; Fresh Art at the S.H. Ervin Gallery,
Sydney, and the touring exhibition True Colours: Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Artists Raise the Flag. Andrew commenced work as a Lecturer in Aboriginal Art and Philosophy at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney in 1995. He was appointed to the Editorial Committee of Photofile magazine that same year, and exhibited his work in Australian Perspecta 1995 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney and Summer Lovin' at the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia, Adelaide. In 1996 Andrew commenced a Master of Fine Arts (Research) at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales. He held the solo exhibition Dispersed Treasures (as part of the international touring exhibition Abstracts: New Aboriginalities) at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, UK, that same year. Andrew worked as a Lecturer at both the Canberra School of Art, Australian National University, the Department of Fine Arts, University of Western Sydney, and the Department of Art History and Theory at Sydney University in 1997. He participated in the exhibitions Extracts at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Sydney and Black Humour at Canberra Contemporary Art Space that same year. 1997 also heralded Andrew's first collaborative performance work with the artist Raymond Peer. In 1998 he exhibited with Rea in bLAK bABE(z) & kWEER kAT(z) at Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney as part of the 20th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. He continued to lecture in the Department of Art History and Theory at Sydney University that same year. Andrew has also been involved in Tumblong, a production site for new art on the World Wide Web (http://www.tumblong.uts.edu.au) about the relationship between Australia and Britain across time. Artist statement — Brook ANDREW We are the sum of our ancestors. We are not yesterday, we are today, and with this we need to change accordingly, not to be caught up with yesterday. We all change and become different all the time. This is to be rejoiced. Our bodies are our own, though in a majority white community and language wrapped in a very fixed privileged white idea of the 'best' contemporary lifestyle, we all fall for self-delusion about both that 'best' culture and race, 'us'. It is easier today for people to feel hatred and fear because cultural boundaries are shifting. Today we have a chance to move on. To bring to the front a new order of knowing, exploring, and learning and sharing. We exist as multiples like we have never existed before. We all need to own our selves, we should let people do this. August 1998 I split your gaze disturbs us. Instead of us consuming, at last we are being consumed. Not only by the beauty of the image but by the control over where and how we see. On this image the eye can never rest. In this way I split your gaze works as a metaphor for the dyslexia of the end of the twentieth century by urging us to convey in ways we fear. Through this confrontation we see how disturbing the politics of difference really are. Lisa Havilah, August 1998 |
