National Indigenous Times on Reko Rennie’s upcoming solo exhibition ‘Urban Rite’

3 Oct 2024

Featuring a suite of new abstract figurative paintings that see a fresh direction for Reko Rennie, the exhibition expands upon his pursuits into reclaiming Indigenous ownership over space and place within the urban landscape.

“Marking his first exhibition with Ames Yavuz and coinciding with a major survey exhibition –REKOSPECTIVE, at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne – Rennie’s solo exhibition in Sydney challenges perceptions of our environment, confronting the intersections between Indigenous identity, contemporary society, and the built environment.”

Rennie explores his Aboriginal identity through contemporary media, provoking discussion surrounding Indigenous culture and identity in contemporary urban environments through his work. Largely autobiographical, his works fuse the iconography of his Kamilaroi heritage with stylistic elements of graffiti, informed by his youth as a Melbourne-based graffiti artist, and traditions of painting.

Urban Rite debuts at 114 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills at Ames Yavuz, ongoing through 9 November 2024.