However vast the darkness

In celebration of the John Curtin Gallery’s 25 year partnership with the Perth Festival, However vast the darkness… assembles a compelling group of works in deep reflection, as well as cogent protest, of the inequities suffered by peoples across the globe – many as a result of Empire building. Their collective voice of truth-telling is a beacon of hope, in a time of heightened global uncertainty and anxiety. Bow Echo, 2019, is an award-winning project by Aziz Hazara, born in Kabul, Afghanistan, that confronts us with a harrowing vision of young Afghan boys, precariously perching on a mountain top, stormswept, desperately struggling to announce the urgency of their community’s plight against repression, amidst the cultural desolation of war-torn Afghanistan. Aotearoa/New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana’s in Pursuit of Venus [infected], 2017 was the globally acclaimed highlight from the 2017 Venice Biennale, interrogating the impact of Empire building upon the peoples of the Pacific, from a unique First Nations perspective. After showing this monumental work to overwhelming acclaim in Perth for the first time in 2018, in honour of our Festival partnership, we have selected this magnificent work in reprise for 2023 to allow many who missed the opportunity in 2018 to experience one of the world’s greatest artworks created in the last 25 years. OPENING EVENT Thursday 9 February

EXHIBITION 10 February – 16 April

SUPPORTED BY Perth Festival Wesfarmers Arts

LISA REIHANA, BANKS TRANSIT OF VENUS, MOURNING, STARS, SEX TRADE (DETAIL), 2017, DIASEC® PRINT ON CANSON ARCHIVAL RAG, 76 X 162CM. CURTIN UNIVERSITY ART COLLECTION.