This groundbreaking exhibition calls attention to the pressing issue of Indigenous incarceration in Australia and the crisis of deaths in custody. Guest-curated by Kent Morris (Barkindji), it presents works by leading First Nations artists including Vernon Ah Kee, Gordon Bennett, Destiny Deacon, Jimmy Pike, and Judy Watson, whose powerful responses are shown alongside the remarkable creative achievements of former and current prison inmates, many of whom have connected with their culture and Country through The Torch program, such as Thelma Beeton, Stacey Edwards, Robby Wirramanda and Sean Miller.

First Nations Australians make up less than 4% of the Australian population yet represent 36%of the national adult prison population. Indigenous men are 17 times more likely to go to prison than non-Indigenous men and First Nations women are 27 times more likely to go to prison than non-Indigenous women. Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991, incarceration rates for Indigenous Australians have more than doubled and deaths in custody have continued to increase. Of all young people in detention, 65% are First Nations who only make up 6.6% of the Australian population aged 10–17.

Blak In-Justice makes an engaging and important contribution to public discourse about First Nations injustice and the power of cultural practices. It also highlights the vital role of art in First Nations communities and Australian society in raising awareness, sharing stories and creating change.

Image credit: Tony Albert, Brothers (The Prodigal Son) 3 2020, coloured glass, lead, photographic decal, steel, stone, 180 x 60 cm, courtesy the artist