ABOUT
Djon Mundine OAM is a proud Bandjalung man from the Northern Rivers of New South Wales.
Mundine is a curator, writer, artist and activist and is celebrated as a foundational figure in the criticism and exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal art.
Mundine has held many senior curatorial positions in both national and international institutions, some of which include the National Museum of Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales and Campbelltown Art Centre.
Between the years 1979 and 1995, Mundine was the Art Advisor at Milingimbi and curator at Bula-bula Arts in Ramingining, Arnhem Land for sixteen years. Mundine was also the concept artist/ producer of the ‘Aboriginal Memorial’, comprising 200 painted poles by forty-three artists from Ramingining, each symbolising a year since the 1788 British invasion. The Memorial was central to the 1988 Biennale of Sydney and remains on permanent display at the National Gallery of Australia in the main entrance hall.
In 1993, Mundine received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the promotion and development of Aboriginal arts, crafts and culture. Between 2005 & 2006 Mundine was resident at the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) in Osaka, Japan as a Research Professor in the Department of Social Research and is a PhD candidate at National College of Art and Design, University of NSW.
Djon Mundine OAM also won The Australia Council’s 2020 Red Ochre Award for Lifetime Achievement and is currently an independent curator of contemporary Indigenous art and cultural mentor.
![thumbnail_Djon Mundine 52[209233].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9e866ee33a043b87ae801b/1588750603655-RRTQZY4F3Z8XVA40PG0E/thumbnail_Djon+Mundine+52%5B209233%5D.jpg)
“All art is a conversation. Art is a social act – it is about the people of a society, not just what is fashionable at the time. Art is also about memory, remembering family.”
— Djon Mundine
Testimonials
“He not only views art, he feels art, lives art and gives it belonging… I do not know of another person in the Aboriginal art world, who has shared so much of themselves and created lasting connections between viewers and art - lasting connections and interest between Aboriginal culture and the outside world.”
- Karla Dickens 2019
Djon’s curatorial work, together with a small Yolƞgu community’s leaders in Arnhem Land, had entered the communicative structures and value-creation dialogues of contemporary art.
- Bernice Murphy 2019
Djon's innovative and important work in Aboriginal arts and culture has shaped mainstream Australian society by communicating the importance and richness of Indigenous culture and history through art… Beginning with The Aboriginal Memorial (1988) installation at the National Gallery of Australia, which remains a unique and resonant statement of Indigenous commemoration...his leadership as a curator and innovator continues to inform public debates about Aboriginal art, culture and history… Djon's art and curatorial practice is characterised by a courageous engagement with the challenges facing Aboriginal Australians today, joined with a great knowledge of the art world and its importance in communicating culture and history.
- Jane Lyndon 2019
Djon’s knowledge of Indigenous arts is gleaned from years of staging monumental exhibitions, from his many lectures, from his world travels and from a life lived amongst artists.
- Tracey Moffat 2019
“Renowned nationally and internationally, Djon remains a tireless promoter of both Australian Indigenous art and culture, and Indigenous issues, to diverse audiences, small and large, across Australia and around the world… His generosity of spirit and wealth of wisdom is incomparable...he has been one of Australia’s most significant and effective forces for the rise and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art.”
- Victoria Haskins 2019
Through his passion and contribution to the arts he has helped create a dynamic platform for Indigenous art practitioners here and around the world.