The Princeton University Art Museum opens an exhibition on August 17th entitled Under a Southern Star: Identity and Environment in Australian Photography in the Hulfish Gallery.
The exhibition presents works that explore and document the impacts of colonialism on Australia’s indigenous cultures and environmental resources.
As one of the most multicultural countries in the world, Australia has inspired many artists to examine and process the country’s problematic colonial history in the context of questions of identity, belonging and the continent’s increasingly fragile ecosystems. Under a Southern Star: Identity and Environment in Australian Photography features the work of twelve contemporary Australian artists alongside earlier, iconic photographs related to Australia’s history. The juxtaposition of the photographs over time illustrates changing views on cultural and national identity – particularly the primacy of Aboriginal culture in Australian history.
Images by Tracey Moffat – an Indigenous photographer and one of Australia’s best-known artists – as well as John Lindt, Harold Cazneaux and Olive Cotton highlight the complex connections between settler and colonial exploitation efforts on the continent – culturally and ecologically. In total, 84 works by 21 artists are on display.
The show runs until January 5, 2025.
Princeton University Art Museum
Elm Dr, Princeton, NJ 08544
https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/
