Australia pavilion at the Venice Biennale
archie moore kith and kin
commissioned by creative australia
curated by ellie buttrose
1 – Archie Moore / Fredrick Noel Clevens in kith and kin 2024 / Digitally altered found photograph / Australia Pavilion,
press event: Wednesday 17 april 2024 | 4 -4:450m
With: artist archie moore, curator ellie buttrose
commissioner adrian collette am, creative australia,
commissioned by creative Australia
Exhibition: 20 April – 24 November 2024
australia pavilion, giardini di castello 30122
https://creative.gov.au/advocacy-and-research/events/australia-at-the-venice-biennale/
https://creative.gov.au/advocacy-and-research/events/australia-at-the-venice-biennale/venice-biennale-2024/
Archie Moore: ‘Fredrick Noel Clevens and Valerie Jean Moore’ in ‘kith and kin,’ 2024, found photograph, Australia Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2024, graphic design work Žiga Testen and Stuart Geddes // Courtesy the Artist and The Commercial, © the artist
archie moore creates thought-provoking portrayals of self and national histories. in kith and kin, archie reflects on the nature and strength of first nations australian kinship ties that span 65,000+ years and incorporate the land, water and all living things.
his practice is rooted in experiences around identity and heritage, and speaks to wider themes of the universality of the human family and the enduring impact of colonisation.
the phrase kith and kin; simply means friends and family but an earlier old english definition for kith dates from the 1300s and originally meant ‘countrymen’ (kith also meant ‘one’s native land’) and kin: ‘family members’. these words gradually took on the present looser sense: friends and family. many indigenous australians, especially those who grew up on country, see the land and other living things as part of their kinship system–the land itself can be a mentor, teacher, parent to a child. the sense of belonging involves everyone and everything and first nations peoples of australia, which, like most indigenous cultures, is deeply rooted in our sacred landscape from birth until death. i was interested in the phrase as it aptly describes the artwork in the pavilion, but i was also interested in the old english meaning of the words as it feels more like a first nations understanding of attachment to place, people and time.
archie moore
Ellie Buttrose and Archie Moore by Rhett Hammerton, Brisbane 2024.
For three decades, Moore (b. 1970, l. Redlands, Queensland) has created thought-provoking art that bridges the personal and the political. His work is rooted in experiences around identity and heritage, and speaks to wider themes of memory, racism, and the universality of the human family. In kith and kin, Moore will reflect on the nature and strength of Indigenous kinship, issues of surveillance and incarceration, the enduring impact of colonisation and First Nations language revival.
The guiding principle in kith and kin is that relationality is the root of identity. The exhibition draws upon Moore’s extensive research and unravels how his family history is entwined with the chronicles of the continent and more recently the nation of Australia. By tracing his Kamilaroi and Bigambul family back 65,000+ years, Moore asserts Indigenous sovereignty. Although First Nations peoples have been threatened by invasion, massacre, disease, and dispossession, Moore celebrates their continuing vitality. While the stories in kith and kin are often specific to the artist’s family, they mirror the narratives of indigenous and colonised people throughout the world.
Language is a recurring theme in the artist’s practice. Moore is attentive to the elimination of First Nations Australian languages, acknowledging the pernicious policies and social circumstances that have given rise to this loss. Due to colonial dispossession Moore’s mother knew little of her ancestral languages to pass on to her son. Moore has researched Gamilaraay (the language of the Kamilaroi Nation) and Bigambul terms and incorporated them into his artwork. He does this to signpost First Nations language revival movements taking place throughout the world.
“The phrase ‘kith and kin’ simply means friends and family but an earlier Old English definition for Kith dates from the 1300s and originally meant ‘countrymen’ (kith also meant ‘one’s native land’) and Kin: ‘family members’. These words gradually took on the present looser sense: friends and family. Many Indigenous Australians, especially those who grew up on Country, see the land and other living things as part of their kinship system—the land itself can be a mentor, teacher, parent to a child. The sense of belonging involves everyone and everything and First Nations peoples of Australia, which, like most indigenous cultures, is deeply rooted in our sacred landscape from birth until death. I was interested in the phrase as it aptly describes the artwork in the pavilion, but I was also interested in the Old English meaning of the words as it feels more like a First Nations understanding of attachment to place, people and time.” — Archie Moore
Australia’s history is inextricably linked with the carceral system. British colonisation was established with penal colonies from 1788, and today First Nations peoples in Australia are statistically some of the most incarcerated people globally. kith and kin examines this history via specific examples from Moore’s genealogy: his British and Scottish great-great-grandfather arrived as a convict in 1820; while his Kamilaroi and Bigambul great uncle was imprisoned in the notorious Boggo Road Gaol. With respect and solemnity, kith and kin will make visible the impact that the incarceration of Indigenous Australians has on familial connections.
“kith and kin physically immerses the audiences in the world of Archie Moore and lays bare how we are all entangled within his web of connections.” — Ellie Buttrose, curator.
@kith_and_kin_2024
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