Artist Collects Racist Objects for MCA Exhibit

Tony Albert, a 45-year-old artist with Girramay, Yidinji and Kuku-Yalanji heritage, is exhibiting a collection of racist “Aboriginalia” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia. He began collecting these objects—plates, cups, and figurines—as a child in Brisbane during the 1980s, when depictions of Aboriginal people were scarce.

Albert amassed roughly 200 items portraying Aboriginal people and designs, created by non-Indigenous people. These objects often feature caricatures or exoticized representations. The exhibit, titled “Not a Souvenir,” aims to confront visitors with the history of these items and their role in commodifying First Nations people.

The artist acknowledges the complex feelings these objects evoke, even for him. He hopes the exhibit will prompt a reckoning with personal complicity in the acceptance of these representations. The project does not offer solutions, but rather asks viewers to consider the ongoing effects of this history.