ATONG ATEM

Internationally renowned photographer Atong Atem presents striking video and photographic portraiture in her first exhibition in Newcastle. Titled ATONG ATEM, the exhibition brings together two recent series of work to present migrant stories and obscured layers of history on a cinematic scale. 

Presented within an unconventional venue, the exhibition features a beguiling video work Banksia propelled by an arresting score from composer Jerry Agbinya. This work highlights the experience of African men and women who arrived on the First Fleet in 1788— a colonial history that started long before Atem’s own South Sudanese family arrived from Ethiopia to the Central Coast in 1997. Atem's large-scale photographic prints and vibrant portraits will be exhibited alongside this screening.  

Atem's work reflects on the important and shifting role that photographic images hold in the migratory experience; "We have few things that travel continents with us as familial practises. We have recipes and textiles, crocheted doilies and Majok beads, and we have photo albums. Some faces in our photographs are drawn over with a marker, some cut out entirely. Some photos are much, much older than me, others were printed from an iPhone. Photos are gestures, examples of culture in flux". 

This exhibition is a vivid offering that traces the cultural experience of belonging to two places, and how this history is remembered through images and objects. 

ATONG ATEM will be activated by a dynamic series of events presenting fashion, music, discussion, and storytelling from exciting creators celebrating African culture. 

Register here to receive exclusive event information straight to your inbox. For more information on the event series, click here.

Recommended for all ages.

CONTENT & SENSORY WARNING
The video space will be dark and loud.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
   
ATONG ATEM is presented exclusively by Newcastle Art Gallery for New Annual 2023 and represents the first major exhibition of Atong Atem's work in the Hunter Region. Atong Atem is represented by MARS Gallery, Melbourne.  

PHOTO CREDITS
Hero image: Atong Atem, I Have Two of Everything 1, 2022, Ilford smooth pearl print, 150 x 100cm, edition of 3 + 2 AP, courtesy of MARS and the artist.

Atong Atem, The Bride Wore Pearls 1, 2022
Commissioned by Photo Australia for PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography, courtesy of MARS Gallery and the artist
 
Atong Atem, Our Neighbour was a Witch, 2022
Commissioned by Photo Australia for PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography, courtesy of MARS Gallery and the artist

VIDEO CREDIT
Atong Atem, Banksia, 2021
Banksia is commissioned by RISING and Illuminate Adelaide in partnership with The Neilson Foundation, courtesy of MARS Gallery and the artist