Artist and Alumnus: Blak Douglas finds The Halfway Line
Blak Douglas at Penrith Regional Gallery for the opening of Spot the Difference, November 2024, with his commissioned work The Original Blak Panther. (photo credit: Eddie Summers)
Artist and Western Sydney University alumnus Blak Douglas has launched his new exhibition titled Blak Douglas: The Halfway Line at the Penrith Regional Gallery. The exhibition reflects the past 30 years of his career and connection to the western Sydney region.
Born Adam Douglas Hill in Blacktown, to a Dhungatti Aboriginal Father and Caucasian Mother, with English, German, Irish and Scottish ancestry. He conceived the moniker ‘Blak Douglas’ in 2014 in honour of his dominant genealogies.
At the end of high school, he set up an ‘art studio’ in the spare room at home and set up a drawing desk and began experimenting with drawing cartoons. Supported by his parents he attended an open day at Western Sydney University, where he went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts (Graphic Design).
Reflecting on his time at university, Mr Douglas holds the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education in the highest regard. He notes that university was an absolute saviour and having the cultural support that he hadn’t realised existed in his own back yard.
“It was like a biblical experience for want of a better description, like discovering a new world, and it was a safe haven. It was this intellectual and egalitarian compound that was a stone throw from some of the harshest postcodes in Australia. But you were safe, you were nurtured and fostered. I couldn't have asked for a better experience,” said Mr Douglas.
“To walk up on that hill at Werrington (South campus) into the cultural caring and embrace of Aunty Jean South, having that nurturing and encouragement, and all of a sudden being surrounded by an intellect I didn't realise existed in Penrith.”
Three Sisters 1998 - synthetic polymer paint on MDF board - Courtesy of the artist
The meanings behind The Halfway Line are layered, it not only refers to his lived experience, but to the social and cultural lines that Douglas was told he could not cross. It also refers to where he is at in his current career and moving forward after winning the prestigious Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2022, with his portrait of fellow artist and Wiradjuri woman Karla Dickens in flood waters on Bundjalung Country, the award marked a turning point in his artistry.
The Halfway Line also celebrates Douglas’ practice with his ideas having been expressed through painting, sculptures, photography and original poster designs reaching back to his time at Western Sydney University.
With more than 30 major works on loan including from collections at the Art Gallery of NSW and the National Gallery of Australia, the exhibition runs until Sunday, 20 July 2025.
There will be an official opening on Saturday, 22 March from 6.00pm and a free artist talk with Blak Douglas and the exhibitions curator Djon Mundine at 11:00am on Sunday, 23 March. If you would like to attend either of these events, please email the Penrith Regional Gallery.
ENDS
20 March 2025
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