Christian Thompson. 'Heat' 2010 (extract)

Three-channel digital colour video, sound, 5.52 minutes Like the ‘Australian graffiti’ photographs, Heat come out of Thompson's memories of growing up in the desert surrounding Barcaldine in central west Queensland. Barcaldine is famous for its role in the foundation organised labor in Queensland and ultimately the formation of the Australian Labor Party. It also holds historical significance for Thompson's family as it is where his great-great-grandfather, Charlie Thompson, surreptitiously bought a block of land before Aboriginal people could legally buy land, creating a safe haven for his family and other Aboriginal families at the time when Aboriginal people had few legal rights. For Thompson, heat captures the sensation that he associates with being on his country: the dry wind blowing through his hair. It features the three granddaughters of Aboriginal rights pioneer Charlie Perkins, who are the daughters of Thompson’s Long time collaborator Hetti Perkins. From the exhibition 'Christian Thompson: Ritual Intimacy' at Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA), Melbourne, April - July 2017 © Christian Thompson