Josh Muir is a contemporary artist with a distinctive street art aesthetic. His brightly coloured and multi-layered work embodies the wonder of possibility. JOSH X MUIR – a solo exhibition will be presented at the Koorie Heritage Trust, Federation Square from Saturday 6 October 2018.
Muir’s kaleidoscopic work, inspired by hip-hop and street art culture, explores his personal story, capturing fragments of his struggles and moments of joy. Ultimately it is a story of hope told through self-portraits.
The exhibition is made up of eight new self-portraits created for the show, printed on aluminum and suspended from the gallery ceiling, along with immersive wallpaper, a neon installation and a three-channel animation. JOSH X MUIR is a continuation of the artist’s journey of self-exploration.
“As a proud young Yorta Yorta/Gunditjmara man, Josh holds his culture strong to his heart” says Koorie Heritage Trust’s CEO Tom Mosby. “We are particularly proud to have supported Josh over many years as we view ourselves as a platform and springboard for our young and emerging Aboriginal artists, and we are keen to foster and support genuine creative pathways to enable unique artistic opportunities.”
Josh Muir came to prominence as the winner of the People’s Choice Award at the 2014 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards. In the same year, he won the Creative Victoria Award for Excellence in Any Media in the Koorie Heritage Trust’s Koorie Art Show, as well as winning the Ballarat Youth Awards Visual Art and Design prize.
In 2015, he won two Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards – both the Youth and People’s Choice categories. In 2016, Muir was awarded a major commission to develop a digital projection for White Night Melbourne, consequently projected on the façade of the National Gallery of Victoria. In 2017, he was one of eight artists (and the only Aboriginal artist) chosen for the revived Melbourne Art Trams project in the 2017 Melbourne Festival program.
Established in 1985, the Koorie Heritage Trust is a bold and innovative not-for-profit arts and cultural organization. Aboriginal owned and managed, the Koorie Heritage Trust provides opportunities for all people to learn, connect and reconnect with the rich living cultural heritage of Aboriginal Victoria originating from a 60,000-year-old history.
JOSH X MUIR
Koorie Heritage Trust – Federation Square, Melbourne
Exhibition: 6 October – 25 November 2018
Free admission
For more information, visit: www.koorieheritagetrust.com.au for details.
Image: Josh Muir, TONG, 2018 (detail). Digital print on aluminium. Image courtesy of the artist.