A descendant of the Amungu and Wongai peoples, Brian McKinnon was born in Geraldton, Western Australia in 1957. His mother, one of the Stolen Generations, comes from the Amungu people of the mid-west coast, and his father, from whom he takes his beliefs and customs, comes from the Wongai people of the Western Desert.

 

Using a range of diverse materials, McKinnon’s art practice is informed and inspired by his memories of childhood, as well as historical and contemporary politics and events. McKinnon and his family felt the full effect of several generations of assimilationist government policies on Indigenous people. His family was dispersed after the passing of his grandfather, as the authorities considered his part Aboriginal grandmother unfit to look after her family. The majority stayed in New Norcia, Western Australia, but others were taken as far as Adelaide, South Australia. This displacement and profound social disruption continues to be a powerful motivation for McKinnon’s work. McKinnon has worked out of his chosen home town of Geelong for over 30 years and has exhibited in overseas galleries on numerous occasions, numerous Australian galleries and art competitions, also collected by several council and public collections in Melbourne, Perth, Europe and America.

Masters of visual art – VCA 2009
National Gallery Victoria – 2005_2015
RMIT Pro Vice Chancellors Pre-doctoral Indigenous Fellow 2019 - present

 

You can view Brian's work throughout Centrepoint Arcade within the extended Third Space Gallery + Digital Spaces and visit his studio in Shop 15 Centrepoint Arcade, 132 Little Malop Street