Maori/Samoan artist Lonnie Hutchinson transforms the gallery into a chapel with a shrine to Elvis (the Elvesi claimed as Polynesia’s own) and a series of signature black cut-out paper veils representing the Stations of the Cross. However it is the inky eroticism of her nude studies—evoking the bloodstained histories of sexual slavery in the Pacific—that steal the show.
The Institute of Modern Art acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land upon which the IMA now stands, the Jagera, Yuggera, Yugarapul, and Turrbal people. We offer our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first artists of this country. In the spirit of allyship, the IMA will continue to work with First Nations people to celebrate, support, and present their immense past, present, and future contribution to artistic practice and cultural expression.