JCG Djeran - Djilba Season Exhibition Opening

You are invited to the opening of our latest exhibitions that span the Djeran – Djilba seasons, Terra Nullius by Noongar artist Christopher Pease (Minang/Wardandi/Bibbulmun), OA_RR by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie, and and Longing and Hope, an exhibition of Carrolup artworks curated by Curtin Fine Art students.

Christopher Pease: Terra Nullius powerfully transforms a colonial fiction of “nobody’s land”. Drawing from museum archives and 19th-century colonial landscape painting, Pease reworks images that once framed Western Australia as empty and available for settlement, reinscribing Indigenous presence into landscapes through bold Noongar iconography. The exhibition is a vivid assertion of sovereignty, resilience and enduring connection to Country.

In Reko Rennie: OA_RR, two major multi-channel video works by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie collapse boundaries between street performance and ceremony, colonial history and contemporary assertion. Through hand-painted cars, circular burnouts, and immersive soundscapes, Rennie transforms both desert and docklands into charged terrains of memory – declaring continuous Aboriginal presence, pride, and cultural authority. The exhibition blends urban car culture, ancestral motifs, and personal memory into bold, cinematic experiences.

Exhibitions curated by Lia McKnight.

Event Details

Thursday 28 May 2026

5:30pm – 7:30pm

Formalities and Welcome to Country from 6pm

Free event, open to the public

Complimentary refreshments provided.

Exhibitions run from 29 May - 23 August 2026.

The Gallery’s public opening hours during exhibitions are Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 4pm. Closed Saturdays and Public Holidays.

Registration is essential. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.curtin.edu.au/jcg/

John Curtin Gallery’s exhibitions spanning the Djeran – Djilba seasons have been made possible with the support of Lendlease, The Navigators, and Lotterywest.

Header image credit: Christopher Pease, Target, 2005, oil on linen, 100 x 180 cm. Nelson Family Collection. Courtesy of the artist and Gallerysmith. Photography by Sharon Baker.

Photography

This event will be photographed and/or videoed and images will occasionally be used for promotional and marketing purposes, including social media. If you do not wish to be photographed or videoed, please notify staff at event registration.

Accessibility

Everyone is welcome at the John Curtin Gallery. Plan your visit to the John Curtin Gallery.