Blak Douglas vs The Commonwealth (2024)
Directed by Angelica Cristina Dio
Free, bookings essential
Duration: 90 min + 30 min Q&A with Blak Douglas and Djon Mundine
This film is unclassified
Celebrate NAIDOC Week with the screening of Blak Douglas vs The Commonwealth, followed by a Q&A with Blak Douglas, Dhungatti/German/Irish/Scottish peoples, in conversation with Djon Mundine, Bundjalung people.
Before winning the coveted Archibald Prize in 2022, artist Blak Douglas debuted one of his most emotionally charged works, Domestic Violets, at the National Gallery of Australia’s 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial: Defying Empire in 2017. The work features a portrait of his father’s mother, Clorine Morthem, Dhungatti people, at the centre.
In this documentary, Blak Douglas shares his experiences of tracing his grandmother’s story. Beginning with old family photographs, he follows his grandmother’s life back to the Cootamundra Girls Home, where she became a Ward of the State, stripped of her name, language, family and culture and forced into servitude. At the NSW State Archives, he unearths the harrowing machinations of a system that deliberately fragmented his family.
Blak Douglas tells his story, his way, in a gripping testament to the spirit and transformative power of art to address injustices of the past. His reflections are powerful, brutally honest and disarming, establishing him as one of the most vital voices in the Australian arts landscape.
The screening of Blak Douglas vs the Commonwealth coincides with the display of Blak Douglas’ Not everyone’s cup of tea, 2009, currently on display in Gallery 5.
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s NAIDOC Week is centred around the theme ‘Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud!’ and runs from 7 – 14 July 2024.
