Site of Passage
Sydney Customs House, 10 May – 16 November 2018
Artists: Atong Atem, Cigdem Aydemir, Anindita Banerjee, Liam Benson, Vonda Keji, Nikki Lam, Nicole Monks, Raquel Ormella & Christian Thompson
Curators: Claire Field & Tian Zhang
Cultural Consultants: Atong Atem, Cigdem Aydemir, Stephen Gilchrist & Shivanjani Lal
Site of Passage explored personal journeys, transitions, expressions and affirmations. The exhibition spoke to the history of Customs House as a place of complex cross-cultural interactions — as the point of immigration into Sydney for over 140 years and thus the enactment of the White Australia Policy; and near the site of first contact between the Gadigal and the British, which led to ongoing invasion and colonisation of so-called Australia.
Reflecting on personal connections to place, history and lived experience, Site of Passage included nine artists who have undertaken a personal voyage, be it physical or metaphorical. Through this process, the artists claim parts of themselves that may have been complicated by colonisation, displacement or migration.
The exhibition was seen by over 500,000 people throughout its six months duration.
All photos courtesy City of Sydney.