Developed in partnership with The Torch, Heide Museum of Modern Art has unveiled a major exhibition, Blak In-Justice: Incarceration and Resilience.
On show until 20 July 2025, the exhibition calls attention to the pressing issue of Indigenous incarceration in Australia through a compelling selection of artworks by leading First Nations artists alongside participants of The Torch program.
The Torch provides art, cultural, and arts industry support to First Nations people who are currently incarcerated or have recently been released from prisons in Victoria.
Curated by Kent Morris, Barkindji artist, curator and Creative Director of The Torch, Blak In-Justice presents works by acclaimed First Nations artists that address the overrepresentation of Indigenous Australians in the criminal justice system and the crisis of deaths in custody.
Their 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.
Generating powerful political commentary, the exhibition includes work by the internationally renowned artist Gordon Bennett, whose visceral triptych Bloodlines confronts colonial violence; and provocative and darkly comic photographs by the trailblazing Kuku and Erub/Mer artist, Destiny Deacon.
Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman, and Gurang Gurang artist and activist Richard Bell’s painting Walk On (Bell’s Theorem) that reworks words from the Old Testament to engage with the complex history of race relations in Australia; and the major painting Brush with the Lore by Ngarrindjeri artist Trevor Nickolls, offers a sharp social commentary on contemporary Aboriginal life.
Emotive portraits by Badimaya artist Julie Dowling that draw from a range of artistic traditions, including icon painting and Renaissance portraiture, to individualise and elevate real-life stories about the incarceration of First Nations people.
A selection of works in diverse media by Walmajarri man and artist Jimmy Pike showcase stories of his Country. Pike’s unique style was developed while he served time in Fremantle Prison, before rising to prominence as one of Australia’s most significant national and international artists. Never before seen garments from his early Desert Designs range are also included in the exhibition.
From The Torch program, Palawa artist Thelma Beeton and Taungurung/Boonwurrung artist Stacey Edwards reflect on their shared and deeply supportive journey through prison and beyond; and Sean Miller explores his Gamilaroi heritage through a selection of his ceramic works, echoing the traditions of his ancestors who shaped and carved the ground and trees for ceremony.
An installation of six carved wooden pelicans by Daniel Church titled Pelican Mudjin (Family), represents the connections between all Aboriginal peoples from the south-east coast, and his own Darug family.
“A First Nations-developed and led project, the exhibition not only raises awareness of the mass incarceration of First Nations people but shines a light on what is being achieved to break the cycle of Indigenous imprisonment,” said Curator and Creative Director of The Torch, Kent Morris.
“The idea to present this exhibition in partnership with a major public museum has been formulating for many years and I greatly appreciate the support and enthusiasm from the Heide team for the project.”
“By sharing the stories of those who have experienced incarceration and how connection to art and culture has provided trailblazing pathways to healing and self-determination, we hope that visitors to the exhibition become a part of the solution to this ongoing issue,” said Morris.
First Nations Australians make up less than 4% of the Australian population yet represent 33% of the national adult
prison population. Indigenous men are 17 times more likely to go to prison than non-Indigenous men and First Nation 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, exploring the vital role of art in First Nations communities and Australian society in raising awareness, sharing stories and creating change.
Blak In-Justice: Incarceration and Resilience
Heide Museum of Modern Art, 7 Templestowe Road, Bulleen
Exhibition continues to 20 July 2025
Included with museum admission
For more information, visit: www.heide.com.au for details.
Images: Installation view, Blak In-Justice: Incarceration and Resilience, Heide Museum of Modern Art, 2025 – photos by Clytie Meredith