Wear it Purple Day: Tony Albert in Conversation

Join us on Wear It Purple Day 2025 to hear from internationally renowned artist Tony Albert (he/him), whose practice explores representation, identity, history and politics from his perspective as a queer Girramay, Yidinji, and Kuku-Yalanji man. Learn about Tony's experience of making it big in the art world while keeping true to his community, his identity and his sense of humour.

Tony will be in conversation with Keemon Williams, queer artist of Koa, Kuku Yalanji, and Miriam Mir descent.

Students are invited to submit questions for the artist ahead of time here.

About the artist

Tony Albert (Girramay, Yidinji, and Kuku-Yalanji) is one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists with a longstanding interest in the cultural misrepresentation of Aboriginal people. Drawing on both personal and collective histories, his multidisciplinary practice considers the ways in which optimism might be utilised to overcome adversity. He courageously engages in difficult conversations to shed light on problematic histories and current injustices faced by First Nations people.

A founding member of renowned Indigenous collective proppaNow, Albert’s diverse artistic practice spans photography, painting, stained glass, appropriation of kitsch objects, installation and public art. His work has been featured in 9 solo and over fifty group exhibitions.

Albert is acknowledged industry-wide as a valued ambassador for Indigenous community and culture. He was recently announced as the Artistic Director for the 5th National Indigenous Art TrienniaI: After The Rain for the National Gallery of Australia. He is the first First Nations Curatorial Fellow for the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, the first Indigenous Trustee for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a member of the Art Gallery of New South Wales Indigenous advisory, a board member for the City of Sydney's Public Art Panel and member of the Art & Place Board at the Queensland Children's Hospital and in January 2023 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Griffith University for his significant contribution to the arts.

Portrait of Tony Albert courtesy National Gallery of Australia.

About Keemon Williams

Keemon Williams is a queer artist of Koa, Kuku Yalanji, and Miriam Mir descent. Recent solo exhibitions include KAIKAI, NorthSite Contemporary Arts, Cairns (2023); sunk-cost fallacy, Kuiper Projects, Brisbane (2023); and Fairy Tales, Carpark Gallery, Brisbane (2023). Recent group exhibitions include Torsion, Metro Arts, Brisbane (2023-2024); Wurrdha Marra, NGV, Melbourne (2023-ongoing); OUTstanding: Indigenous Art Project, MoB, Brisbane (2022); and CHARACTER LIMIT, Wreckers Artspace, Brisbane (2022). Williams is a founding member of ANTHEM ARI.