Brook Andrew facts for kids
Brook Andrew (born 1970 in Sydney, Australia) is a well-known Australian modern artist. He creates art that often makes people think about history and culture.
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Brook Andrew's Art and Ideas
Brook Andrew has shown his art all over the world since 1996. His work often looks at Western stories, especially how they relate to colonialism in Australia. Colonialism is when one country takes control of another land and its people.
Andrew uses many different art forms, like videos, sculptures, photos, and large art displays you can walk through.
Important Artworks and Exhibitions
In 2014, Andrew worked with museums in Spain, like the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. He created a big art display called A Solid Memory of the Forgotten Plains of our Trash and Obsessions. This artwork made people think about the history of Spain, Britain, and Australia, and how colonialism affected them.
In 2015, Andrew created The Weight of History, A Mark in Time in Barangaroo, Sydney. This artwork mixed traditional Aboriginal art with modern buildings and landscapes.
Research and Special Projects
Brook Andrew is also a researcher. In 2017, he received a special fellowship to study photography at the Musée du quai Branly in Paris. He looked at how colonial photographers took pictures of people from other cultures.
He also worked on a three-year research project called Representation, Remembrance and the Monument. This project explored the idea of creating a national memorial for Aboriginal people who lost their lives during the frontier wars. These wars were conflicts between European settlers and Aboriginal people.
Andrew and his partner, Trent Walter, have created Australia's first official government-supported memorial to the frontier wars. This memorial honors Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheener, who were two Aboriginal men. It is located near Melbourne Gaol.
Leading the Biennale of Sydney
In 2018, Brook Andrew was chosen to be the Artistic Director for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, which took place in 2020. The title of this Biennale was NIRIN, which means 'edge' in Wiradjuri, the language of Andrew's mother.
As the artistic director, Andrew made sure the Biennale celebrated not only Australia's Indigenous cultures but also those of First Nations artists from all over the world. He explained that he wanted to challenge common ideas about what "sovereignty" means for Indigenous peoples. Sovereignty means having power and control over your own land and people.
