ABC Radio National: Christian Thompson
Internationally renowned artist Christian Thompson was the first Aboriginal Australian to be accepted into the University of Oxford in its 900 year history after receiving the inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholarship.
He leaves traditional art practices behind and instead reshapes and refashions his body, using it as his performative device.
Earlier this year an exhibition of Thompson’s work opened at Oxford University’s Pitt Rivers Museum. We Bury Our Own was made in response to the Museum’s historic Australian photograph collection from Australia.
“I conceived the ‘We Bury Our Own’ series in 2010 after curator Christopher Morton invited me to develop a body of work that would be inspired by and in dialogue with the Australian photographic collection at the Pitt Rivers Museum,” Thompson explains. “I knew that this project would be a fantastic platform and unique opportunity to engage with the collection and to make a vital contribution to the cultural fabric of Oxford University, to create a new gateway to consider such material.”
Christian is in Australia after presenting a performative work at AGNSW for the inaugural Anne Landa Award. He joins Weekend Arts live from Sydney.