sunshine state - smart state

2007

Visual Arts

Artist/s: Tracey Moffatt, Richard Bell, Fiona Foley, Vernon Ah Kee, Judy Watson, Gloria Thanakupi, William Yang, Lindy Lee and Ken Thaiday.

Campbelltown Arts Centre presented Sunshine State - Smart State, a major contemporary arts project from 6 July – 26 August. Sunshine State - Smart State is a major project developed by Campbelltown Arts Centre’s Indigenous Curator - Contemporary Art, Djon Mundine.

Sunshine State - Smart State has been developed under the following curatorial rationale:

At various times in history particular political and social forces have led to the creation of artists and art of a certain style, attitude, action or philosophy. Bjelke-Petersens’s Queensland in the 1980s, aka the ‘Sunshine State’, was a defining time for Queensland artists.  Many of state’s most talented and creative people left.  A shift in the political landscape in more recent times and a re-branding of Beattie’s Queensland as the ‘Smart State’ has two decades later, encouraged many artists to return home.

Sunshine State - Smart State encompassed several components including a visual arts exhibition, performances, a full colour catalogue, artist residencies and a series of public programs. Campbelltown Arts Centre is presenting the work of nine nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, including Tracey Moffatt, Richard Bell, Fiona Foley, Vernon Ah Kee, Judy Watson, Gloria Thanakupi, William Yang, Lindy Lee and Ken Thaiday. Seven of the artists are Indigenous artists who are widely recognised as leaders in their field.