Gordon Hookey was born in Cloncurry, Queensland in 1961. He currently lives and works in Brisbane. Hookey belongs to the Waanyi people and locates his art at the interface where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures converge.
Gordon Hookey
Neue Neue Galerie (Neue Hauptpost), Kassel. Image by Michael Nast.
He explicitly attacks the establishment and implicates our current political representatives. His style and approach is distinctive in its vibrancy and best known for its biting satire of Australia’s political landscape, its leaders and representatives. Hookey's work combines figurative characters, iconic symbols, bold comic-like text, and a spectrum of vibrant colours. Through this idiosyncratic visual language he has developed a unique and immediately recognisable style. Hookey’s perspective comes from a divergent, activist positioning – his work challenges hierarchies, skewering the status and integrity of the ‘elite’, while working to bolster the position of the marginalised and oppressed. Hookey is a core member of Brisbane-based Indigenous collective proppaNOW alongside fellow artists including Richard Bell, Vernon Ah Kee and Jennifer Herd. His work is held in major collections within Australia including the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art and University of Queensland Art Museum in Brisbane in Brisbane, Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth, National Gallery of Australia and Australian National University in Canberra, National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, University of Technology in Sydney and a number of significant private collections.
- Born 1961 Cloncurry, Queensland. People: Waanyi. Lives and works, Brisbane, Queensland.
Education
2008-12
- Master of Visual Arts, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane
1989-91
- Bachelor of Fine Arts, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Solo Exhibitions
2022
- MURRIALITY, UNSW Galleries, Sydney
- MURRIALITY, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (touring)
2021
- Paintings, Sculpture and Video, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
- Sacred Nation, Scared Nation, in collaboration with Gary Simmons, Fort Gansevoort New York (online)
2017
- Wellaroo, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Sydney
2015
- Extant, Artrageous, Deagon
2013
- Gordon Hookey: Kangaroo Crew, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
2012
- Graduation Exhibition, Whitebox Gallery, Griffith University, Brisbane
- Recent Sculpture and Drawing, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
2010
- Recent Drawings: The Kangaroo Series, Nellie Caston Gallery, Melbourne
2009
- “WHICHWAY!...?’’ Milani Gallery, Brisbane
2008
- “a ready made joke”, Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
2007
- So Fist Tick Catered Phenomenaah, Bellas Milani Gallery, Brisbane
- Contempt Free Hart, Contemporary Arts, Umbrella Studio, Townsville, Queensland
- Con Ject Charr-Jarr-Yarh-”Arrgh”, Koorie Heritage Trust Inc, Melbourne, Australia
2006
- Kopatai Project Space, Port Chalmers, Dunedin, New Zealand
2005
- www.gordonhoo.com, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne
2001
- Ruddocks Wheel, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney
2000
- Untitled, Villa Van Delden, Ahaus, Germany
1996
- Terraism, Red Shed Gallery, Adelaide, South Australia
1995
- Interface Inya Face, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, Australia
1994
- Canadian Exchange, Arthaus, Sydney
Two-Person Exhibitions
2001
- In Ya Face (with Gordon Syron), Boomali Aboriginal Artists Cooperative , Sydney
1998
- Furious (with Andy Lelei), Casula Powerhouse Art Centre, Sydney
Group Exhibitions
Currently Touring
OCCURRENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW
Touring exhibition with UQAM and MGNSW 2021-2025
Lismore Regional Gallery, NSW; Artspace Mackay, QLD; USC Gallery, University of the Sunshine Coast, QLD; Gosford Regional Gallery, NSW; Ngununggula | Southern Highlands Regional Gallery, NSW; NAS Galleries, National Arts School, NSW; John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University, WA, University of Queensland Art Museum, QLD
2024
- Deeply Unserious, Redcliffe Art Gallery, Brisbane
- Ten Thousand Suns, Biennale of Sydney
2023
- ARTIST POET POEISIS, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
- proppaNOW: There Goes the Neighbourhood!, Vera List Center, New York City
2022
- The Gold Award (finalist), Rockhampton Museum of Art, Rockhampton
- Zombie Eaters, Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA), New South Wales
2021
- The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10), QAGOMA, Brisbane
- Just Not Australian, Bathurst Regional Gallery, NSW (touring)
2020
- OCCURENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane
2019
- Just Not Australian, Artspace, Sydney
- The Abyss: Strategies in Contemporary Art, Brisbane
2018
- Frontier Imaginaries ed. 5: Trade Markings, Vanabbe Museum, Eindhoven
- Continental Drift: From Blak to Black, CIAF, Cairns Art Gallery, Cairns
2017
- The National, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
- dOCUMENTA 14, Athens and Kassel
2016
- Beyond the Tower: UQ Art Museum - 40 years and counting, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
- Frontier Imaginaries, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
2015
- Out of Queensland: New Indigenous Textiles, Cairns Regional Gallery
2014
- Conflict: Contemporary Responses to War, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane
- My Country, I Still Call Australia Home (Touring), Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki
- FOUR ROOMS, Adelaide Festival, Tandanya, Adelaide
- proppaNOW – the black line, Bett Gallery, Hobart
- proppaNOW, Brisbane Powerhouse
2013
- NEW2013, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
- Born to Concrete, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
- My Country, I Still Call Australia Gome, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
2012
- Propositions, Milani Gallery, Brisbane
- Sculpture Is Everything, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
- ANIMAL / HUMAN, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane
- Making Change, Beijing, National Art Museum of China, ANIMATION: TERRAIST
2011
- Ten Years of Contemporary Art: The James C Sourris AM Collection, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
- The Black See, proppaNOW, Kickarts Contemporary Arts, Cairns
- Felix Australia, ICE Gallery at Crane Arts, Philadelphia
2010
- PAY ATTENTION, Tony Albert and friends City Gallery Wellington, New Zealand
- Jus’ Drawn, proppaNOW, Linden Contemporary Arts Centre, Melbourne & touring with NETS through regional Victoria until 2011
- PUTSCH, proppaNOW, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide Festival Visual Arts
2009
- I walk the line, New Australian Drawing, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
2008
- Australian, Casula Powerhouse, Sydney
- Selected Recent Acquisitions, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane
2007
- Culture Warriors, National Indigenous Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra & touring in Australia and Washington until 2009
- The Amersham Trophy, proppaNOW , Ambleside Street Studio, West End, Brisbane
- Friendly Fire, proppaNOW Group, George Petelin Gallery, Gold Coast
- Power and Beauty: Indigenous Art Now, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, VIC.
2006
- Urban Aboriginal Artists of NSW, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative Exhibition, Art Images Gallery, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide
- There Goes The Neighbourhood, proppaNOW, Ambleside Street Studio, Brisbane
2004
- On Reason and Emotion, Biennale of Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
- Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
- Colour Power, National Gallery of Victoria, The Ian Potter Centre, Melbourne
- Urban Aboriginal Artists of NSW, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative Exhibition, Art Images Gallery, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide
2003
- Con-Sen-Trick-Sir-Kills, Linden Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne
- One Square Mile, Museum of Brisbane
- Travelling Waters linking our Communities 11th Mil-Pra AECG, Aboriginal Exhibition and Art Award, Liverpool Regional Museum, Sydney
- Flannelette, Liverpool Regional Museum, Sydney
2002
- The History of Things to Come, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney
- Common Ground, Hazelhurst Gallery, Sydney
2001
- Weaving Garden, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney
- Caught in the Headlights, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
- Intermission, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
- Dingo Flat, Workshop and Exhibition, John Curtin Gallery, Perth
- Uncommon World, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
2000
- Aboriginal Expo 2000, Olympic Site, Sydney
- Mum Shirl Tribute Exhibition, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
- Shop Front, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
- Black 2 Basics, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
- Comfort Zone, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
- Beyond the Pale, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
1999
- Reconcilliation, Lane Cover Culture and Music Centre, Sydney
- Black and White, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW
1998
- White Man Can’t Dance, Bangarra Theatre, Sydney
- Furious, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (residency), Sydney
- La Casa Musicale, Perpignan, France
- My Country, Fairfield Regional Heritage Centre, Sydney
- Fourth NATSI Heritage Award, Old Parliament House, Canberra
- Djarlaringi, Manly Art Gallery, Sydney
- Our Children, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney
- Wake Naima, Djabai Cultural Centre, Noumea, New Caledonia
1997
- Off-Shore: On-site, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney
- Black Letter Law, Touring Exhibition, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra
- Black on Trac, Annual Members Exhibition, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, SydneyBlack Humour, (touring) Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra
1996
- Finders Keepers, Margrove Heritage Centre, Cleveland, England, UK
1995
- Skin, Sydney Theatre Company, Sydney
- Native Title, Touring Exhibition, Tandanya, Adelaide
- Power Games, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Sydney
- NAIDOC Week on the Street, Paddington, Sydney
- 16 Songs, (Touring Exhibition), The University Art Museums, University of California at Santa Barbara, United States of America
- Reactions, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
1994
- 3rd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Heritage Art Award, The Art of Place, Old Parliament House, Canberra
- Man Animal Man, Gorman House, Canberra
- Crossworks, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra
- Naii Ngarrambi Wanggirali Nangi Dyannai Ngurui, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra
- Neo Locula Collection, Arthaus, Sydney
- Urban Artyfact, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
1993
- Dante in Australia, Centro Deantesco, Ravenno, Italy
1992
- Continuity, Boomalli Aboriginal Artist’s Co-operative, Sydney
1991
- Solid, The Works Gallery, Sydney
1990
- Maroochy Arts Festival, Maroochy Town Hall, Nambour, Queensland, Australia
Awards and Grants
2021
- Finalist, Gold Award, Rockhampton Museum of Art
2009
- Albers Foundation Studio Residency, Connecticut, USA (Australia Council for the Arts)
2008
- Casula Powerhouse Residency, Sydney
- Gertrude Street Contemporary Art Space and Studios Residency, Melbourne
2007
- Umbrella Studios Residency, Contemporary Arts, Townsville, Queensland
2006
- Otago University Residency, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Banff Centre Residency, Banff, Canada
2005
- Deadly Award – Visual Artist of the Year
2004
- Casula Powerhouse Residency, Sydney
1998
- Emerging Artists Prize, 4th NATSI Heritage Art Award, Canberra
1990
- Maroochy Arts Prize, Maroochy, Queensland
Collections
- UQ Art Museum, Brisbane
- Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
- Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA
- Flinders University Adelaide, South Australia
- Australian National University, Canberra, ACT
- Liverpool City Council, Liverpool, New South Wales
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria
- University of Technology, Sydney, NSW
- University of Wollongong, New South Wales
- HOTA on the Gold Coast, Queensland
- AKT Consultancy Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Cleveland Shire Council Cleveland, United Kingdom
- Djabai Cultural Centre Noumea, New Caledonia
- Jabal Centre Australian National University, Canberra, Australia Capital Territory, Australia
- Margrave Heritage Centre Cleveland, England, United Kingdom
- Native Studies University of Alberta, Canada
- Osaka Museum of Ethnology Osaka, Japan
- Private Collections
Publications
- E Buttrose, ‘Sculpture Is Everything’, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, p. 40, 2012
- G Petelin, ‘Nationality, Internationality and Indigenous Culture’, Australia Felix, Octivius Press, Brisbane, pp.10–12, 2011
- B McLean, Good and Proppa: Urban Aboriginal Art from Queensland, 10 years of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 2011
- McLean, Ian. Rattling Spears:A History of Indigenous Australian Art. Reaktion Books Ltd, 2016, pp. 237.
- B Munting, Gordon Hookey, Australian Casula Powerhouse, Sydney, 2010
- L Nowell, Putsch, proppaNOW, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, 2010
- B Croft, ‘Contemporary Australian Art at the Asia Pacific: Flash Gordon’s message, Language Is a Virus—The Kings English (Not)’,Artlink vol. 30, no. 1, p. 52–54, 2010
- E Heartney, ‘Identity and Locale’, Art in America, no. 5, May, p. 65, 2009
- M Demozay, Gatherings: Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from Queensland Australia, Keeairu Press, Southport, Queensland, 2006
- R Nelson, The serious art of fun, The Age Metro 18 May, 2005 p.9
- Dr Joseph Pugliese, Theatre’s of War, Reason and Emotion exhibition catalogue essay, Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney Biennale June, 2004
- The art of politics, Herald Sun February, 2004
- Gallery defends right to show painting, Herald Sun February, 2004
- Gallery slammed for Painting Mocking Howard - Bush Ties, Common Dreams News Centre February, 2004
- Art lampoon causes stink in Australia, The Washington Times February, 2004
- Australian gallery defends right to display political painting, ABC Radio Australia February, 2004
- J Pugliese, ‘Gordon Hookey: Theatres of War’, in I Carlos (ed.), On Emotion and Reason: Sydney Biennale 2004, Biennale of Sydney Ltd, Sydney, pp. 110–113, 2004
- J Ryan, ‘Screaming Out Loud What People Are Whispering: Gordon Hookey on Art’, Colour Power: Aboriginal Art Post 1984, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2004
- G Coslovich, Box Office - (the best of art), The Age (Melbourne) Magazine October, 2004 p.113
- J Kelly, Art attack on PM Howard, Herald Sun February, 2004
- J Liston The Personal is Political, The Weekend Australian June, 2004
- S Kidd, A mild-mannered provocateur on the move, The Emerald Hill Times July, 2003
- A Finnegan, ‘Border Panic: Open Channel on Refugees’, Artlink, vol. 23, no.1, p. 20, 2003
- M Helmrich, Mianjin ngatta yarrana (Brisbane, I’m Going), Square Mile Brisbane Boundaries catalogue essay, Museum of Brisbane, 2003
- C Thompson, Operation Honesty - The Art of Gordon Hookey, Con-Sent-Trick Sir-Kills exhibition catalogue essay, Linden - St Kilda Centre for Contemporary Art July, 2003
- A MacDonald, Making Art at the Interface, Places That Name Us, RAKA Award: contemporary visual arts #3, The Ian Potter Museum of Art, The University of Melbourne October, 2003
- P Munro, Shirt that won the west - and selected outposts, The Sydney Morning Herald, April, 2003
- M Madigan, Students leap to save the PM from being depicted as a pig, The Courier Mail September, 2002
- Tom Sear, and Conroy Wood, Diana, Common Ground: Exploring the royal National park - the dramatic common ground shared by Southern Sydney and the Illawarra exhibition catalogue, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, 2002
- Controversial painting prompts racism row, ABC News Online September, 2002
Painting sparks outrage, News Mail September, 2002 - B Genocchio, Your Space or Mine?, The Weekend Australian November - December, 2002
- G Hookey, ‘Ruddocks Wheels’, Border Panic Reader, Australia Network for Art and Technology, Performance Space Sydney, p. 70–72, 2002
- C Hennessy, Painting outrages students, September, 2002
- B James, Festival’s King Hit, Sydney Morning Herald March, 2000
- P Cochrane, Festival of hope amid anger and reminders of sorry past, Sydney Morning Herald March, 2000
- M Fitzgerald, Renewing the country, Time April, 2000
- D Broker, Beyond the pale - Adelaide biennial of Australian Art, Eyeline Spring, 2000
- M Billington, Feast for the eyes, The Guardian March, 2000
- B Croft, Beyond the Pole: Contemporary Indigenous Art, 2000 Adelaide Biennale, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery Board of South Australia. 2000
- S Sandkötter, Künstler stellen Entwürfe für das Ahauser Wandbild vor, Wochenpost. 24 Mai, 2000
- Wandbild nimmt Gestalt an, Ahauser Zeitung, 2000
- R Usher, History Rears its ugly head, The Age 2000
- H McQueen, Art can reveal but never resolve, Art Monthly April, 2000
- D Mellor, Review - beyond the pale, Art and Australia spring, 2000
- J Mendelssohn, A Sorry storey, The Bulletin March, 2000
- R&V Megaw, Art indigenous and incredible, Adelaide Advertiser March, 2000
- S McCullock-Uehlin, Mind the gap, The Weekend Australian, March 2000
- P Lloyd, Contemporary Challenge February, 2000
- J Kean, The diversity of practice - Political theatre in Beyond the Pale, Artlink, vol. 20, no.1 2000
- TJ McNamara, Heroics from the Pacific edge, The Weekend Herald October, 1999
- B James, When the pen is mightier than the word, Sydney Morning Herald February, 1999
- B James, Catching the lost wave, Sydney Morning Herald November, 1998
- J Albert, Laughter mixed with tears, Australian Magazine June, 1998
- Hanson influence in Black Humour, Northern Territory News April, 1998
- C Jones, Distinctly black, Real Time August/September, 1997
- S Barron, Provocative and timely humour, The Canberra Times, July 1997
- H Musa, A capital life, The Canberra Times, October, 1997
- C Proudfoot, Aboriginal artists see funny side, Canberra Times, July, 1997
- S Radok, Black humour, Artlink vol.18 no.3 Winter, 1997
- A Carver, Naturally cultured/culturally natured: Recent dialogue between Aboriginal art and the environment,Periphery, no26 February 1996 p.10
- D Shires, Just see it, Muse #163 July, 1996
- N Captain Sears, Cook; hero or villain? 1996
- S Whitton, Bridging the gap through art, Whitby Gazette August 23, 1996 p.5
- Artist takes a dig at Manly, The Manly Daily, January 28, 1995
- D Leach, The Earth, Something That Belongs To Us, The Leader, 1994
- I Slarke, Dante in Australia - Trenta Artisti Australiani 1993
- S Stegall, Sprit Spirals and Samovers, Tharunka, 1993
