This publication expands on the histories, thematics and mediums presented in the survey exhibition, r e a : c l a i m e d. The solo exhibition at ACCA brings together a selection of key works by Gamilaraay, Wailwan and Biripi artist, r e a, who has been working at the forefront of Indigenous new media practice for over thirty years. Curated by Myles Russell-Cook, it is a potent representation of r e a's hard-hitting practice that examines the bonds between our bodies, politics, memories, and futures. The publication, r e a : c l a i m e d, is the largest monograph of r e a’s practice to-date. The monograph is at once substantial and digestible across its materiality and content, as it collates more than three decades worth of ideas and imagery in a format that feels both fresh and impactful. Never-before published images of r e a’s artwork and exhibition history is complemented by specially commissioned texts, making the book the most comprehensive project to ever represent r e a’s work.The monograph spans a major curatorial essay by curator and editor of r e a : c l a i m e d, Myles Russell-Cook (ACCA Artistic Director and CEO), and five new commissions by ACCA colleagues and external writers. Professor Lynette Russell AM, Judith Ryan AM, Dr Shelley McSpedden, Sophie Gerhard and Sophie Prince respectively respond to distinct works and ideas integral to understanding r e a’s work, purposefully extending and making permanent the experience of the exhibition itself.
