Art projection: Tony Albert's River Ritual 2022

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From 8 August-5 September 2022 Brisbane City Council will be showcasing artworks at Howard Smith Wharves by Tony Albert, Sebastian Moody and Beth Mitchell. The three artworks will be on rotation from 5:30-11:30pm each night as part of Council's Public Art Collection.The collection is made up of close to 500 pieces by local, national and internationally renowned artists.  The collection comprises artworks in a mix of styles and materials ranging from traditional bronze sculptures to large scale contemporary artworks with lighting programs. Since 2019, Council has commissioned digital artworks for the city's growing public art collection by living contemporary artists working across diverse practices. This approach allows for the artworks to be displayed multiple times across varying locations. This innovative art procurement takes the artwork to the people rather than the other way around.

About the artwork: River Ritual
"I am very excited to create a work for Brisbane City Council's growing Digital Artwork Collection. I have approached the work in a very sensitive and playful way as a digital cultural gift to the river." Tony Albert, 2022River Ritual is a digital gift to the beloved Brisbane River. The central figure of the dancer comes in and out of play, not always fully representational as a person. This figure represents a life form somewhere between two worlds, part human and part spirit. Limbs become intertwined and lost through the movement of dance and the figure intermediately changes colour. The dance interprets movement much like the changing shape of water, life and vitality.Interspersed with the imagery are short animations pertaining to contemporary practice and life in the area. This includes a first nations response to Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Elements of souvenir culture come to life, escaping the clenches of a western gaze and becoming authors of their own destiny. The main emphasis of the work is to tell a contemporary story of the river. It harnesses digital technology set against the archaic surrounds of Howard Smith Wharfs, once known in an entirely different cultural context. Canoes are now city cats and trees are now buildings. The past, the present and the future are combined and reflected in this digital montage.Drawing on both personal and collective histories, Tony Albert's multidisciplinary practice considers the ways in which optimism might be used to overcome adversity. His work poses crucial questions such as how do we remember, give justice to and rewrite complex and traumatic histories?About the artist: Tony Albert
Albert is the first Indigenous Trustee for the Art Gallery of New South Wales. His commitment to connecting and collaborating with other Indigenous artists and community within his practice, has made him an integral part of Australia's visual arts sector.The artist's important work has been acknowledged industry-wide with multiple prestigious awards and commissions. This year, Albert was commissioned to design an artwork to adorn the seats of the new Sydney Football Stadium. He is currently collaborating with artist Nell on a major commission at QAGOMA. Launching in 2024, The Big Hose will be the first permanent artist-led, interactive play sculpture in Queensland's Cultural Centre. Also in 2022, Albert was commissioned by Brisbane City Council to develop new outdoor public artworks for the iconic Botanic Gardens and Howard Smiths Wharves. Internationally in 2022, Albert was commissioned by Public Art Fund, to create an artwork for Global Positioning, an exhibition presented throughout New York, Boston and Chicago in the USA. At the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, 2020 he presented a major installation in the form of an interactive Greenhouse. Albert's first major commission was in 2013 Albert for the City of Sydney. The monumental work Yininmadyemi - Thou didst let fall was installed in Hyde Park South on Anzac Day 2015 to commemorate indigenous soldiers.Albert is strongly represented in major national collections including the National Gallery of Australia; the Australian War Memorial, Canberra; the Art Gallery of New South Wales; the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art—Queensland Art Gallery.