Not a Souvenir: Tony Albert's Confronting Collection Opens at MCA
Exhibition Details
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney will present Tony Albert's solo exhibition, Not a Souvenir, opening on 21 May.
The exhibition features over 3,000 items from Albert's collection of 'Aboriginalia'—objects depicting Indigenous people created by non-Indigenous people, often in caricatured or kitsch forms.
The exhibition includes several key installations:
- An 'Aboriginalia room' showcasing the breadth of the collection
- An installation of over 450 souvenir boomerangs
- Artworks incorporating Aboriginalia items as central materials
A prominent text work, constructed from nearly 450 individual letters, describes the objects as 'PAINFUL REPRESENTATIONS OF A VIOLENT & OPPRESSIVE HISTORY'.
In a unique public gesture, the MCA invites visitors to donate items to Albert's ongoing collection.
Artist Background
Albert, a 45-year-old artist with connections to the Girramay, Yidinji and Kuku-Yalanji peoples of north Queensland, has been collecting Aboriginalia since childhood. He later coined the term 'Aboriginalia' and has used his collection in his art for over 20 years.
His recent roles include inaugural First Nations curatorial fellow for the 2024 Biennale of Sydney and artistic director of the 2025 National Indigenous Art Triennial. In December, he was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture.
Statements from the Artist
Albert described the Aboriginalia collection as 'confronting for a lot of people', noting that viewing the items alone can be overwhelming.
"I have reconciled with this stuff. I can use it, abuse it, interrogate it without hesitation."
On the exhibition's location at Tallawoladah (Sydney Harbour), he called it an 'epicentre for cultural commodification'.
"I hold an optimistic view of what art does and should do."
Curator's Comment
Bruce Johnson McLean, Wierdi curator, said the work 'speaks back to those colonial histories and legacies, turning that conversation from one of disempowerment to one that's very much of empowering Aboriginal people.'