The Painter Who Watches the Watchmen

Rich with symbolism and colour, the prints and paintings of Brisbane-based artist Ryan Presley give a sharp and deeply compassionate history of Indigenous experiences with governance and power in Australia. The artist scrutinises how law is enforced across this country, at times often violently and tragically administered; while also raising up Indigenous heroes of legal reform and community.

Western mythologies of colonialism and crusade form a kind of symbolic template that Presley plays with, adding his own brand of Australian iconography, from camo-print sharks to poolside recliners and Melbourne street maps.

Of Marri