r e a: c l a i m e d

r e a: c l a i m e d is a focused retrospective of Gamilaraay, Wailwan and Biripi digital media artist, r e a.

This summer, ACCA presents a focused retrospective of Gamilaraay, Wailwan and Biripi digital media artist, r e a. Playfully titled r e a: c l a i m e d, this thoughtful survey highlights the breadth and impact of r e a’s contemporary practice. Born in 1962 in Coonabarabran, New South Wales, r e a lives and works on Darug and Gundungurra Country, also known as the Blue Mountains.

This presentation includes an exciting new commission alongside a curated selection of works spanning more than three decades. Presented across three galleries, the exhibition is accompanied by the largest monograph of r e a’s work to date, cementing their position as one of Australia’s leading figures in contemporary art. With trans rights increasingly under threat internationally, this is a timely exhibition that addresses themes of memory, representation, intersectionality, and positionality.

r e a’s work has illuminated the ongoing impacts of colonisation on queer and Indigenous bodies. Their important practice has positioned them as a vital and inspiring presence in the Australian art landscape, making sustained and significant contributions to experimental new media practice. r e a was among the first Indigenous artists to exhibit at ACCA, participating in Blakness: Blak City Culture in 1994, alongside Destiny Deacon, Brook Andrew, Joanne Currie, and more. Working across photography, video, sound, performance, and multi-sensory installation, r e a explores their relationship to gender within the context of post-colonial Australia.

Archival storytelling is often central to r e a’s practice, which is deeply personal, generous, and provocative. Informed by new media theory, they layer text, image and colour to trace transgenerational histories and interrogate how attitudes toward race are embedded in both language and art. r e a : c l a i m e d continues ACCA’s commitment to presenting solo exhibitions of Australian artists at pivotal moments in their careers, affirming r e a’s place as a changemaker and senior figure in Australia’s contemporary art landscape.

Curated by: Myles Russell-Cook

Artist Bio 
For over thirty years, r e a – of the Gamilaraay, Wailwan and Biripi peoples – has been a leading figure in Indigenous new media art in Australia and internationally. An artist, curator, activist and educator, r e a’s work spans photography, video, digital media, film and installation, exploring Indigenous identity, representation and post-colonial experience.

r e a is the artist’s full name. Due to academic conventions, some texts appear under r e a Saunders or Dr Regina M. Saunders (Morris). The name r e a noir is also used – referencing the colour black and a playful nod to Renoir.