Leah King-Smith: rhythm wRites
rhythm wRites is an immersive exhibition orchestrated by Bigambul artist Leah King-Smith, exploring simultaneity, interconnectivity, rhythm, ethereality, spatiality and sound. Rooted in a decolonising framework, the exhibition features new work produced in collaboration with leading First Nations practitioners from the fields of visual art, music and creative writing: Robert Andrew (Yawuru), Nici Cumpston (Barkindji), Keely Eggmolesse (Gubbi Gubbi and Gooreng Gooreng) and Ellen van Neerven (Mununjali Yugambeh). Audio-visual installations drawing on First Nations experiences, histories, and intergenerational connectivity weave through the galleries alongside select works from King-Smith’s recent practice.
Through her multidimensional photographic layering technique, Leah King-Smith (she/her) explores interdimensional portals, seeking to evoke dream states that promote contemplative reverie. Having completed a Master of Arts by research at QUT in 2001 and a PhD in visual arts in 2006, King-Smith is currently Lecturer and Academic Lead (Indigenous) in Learning and Teaching in QUT’s School of Creative Arts. Her work is held in many public and private collections in Australia and internationally, including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art.
Robert Andrew (he/him) is a descendant of the Yawuru people. Yawuru Country is the lands and waters in and around Rubibi (the town of Broome) in the Kimberley region, Western Australia. Andrew’s work investigates personal and family histories that have been denied or forgotten. His work speaks to the past yet articulates a contemporary relationship to his Country—using technology to make visible the interconnecting spiritual, cultural, physical, and historical relationships with the land, waters, sky, and all living things. He has held recent solo exhibitions at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) and Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Andrew’s work has been presented in major group exhibitions in Australia and internationally including: 23rd Biennale of Sydney; 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial; TarraWarra Biennial; Overlapping Magisteria: The 2020 Macfarlane Commissions, Australian Centre of Contemporary Art; Jinan Biennale; Yokohama Triennale; The National: New Australian Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales; and Colony: Frontier Wars, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). His work is held in the collections of the NGV, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Moreton Bay, Araluen Art Centre, and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. In 2023 he was the recipient of Moreton Bay Regional Galleries’ 15 Artists acquisitive art prize. Andrew has a Doctor of Visual Arts (2019) and has completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Griffith University, Brisbane. Robert Andrew is represented by Milani Gallery, Meanjin/Brisbane.
Nici Cumpston (she/her) is a proud Barkindji artist, curator and educator, whose family are also of Afghan, Irish and English descent. Barkindji are the River people who belong to the Barka, the Darling River in far western New South Wales, Australia. Specialising in photography, Cumpston has worked as a photographic lecturer at Tauondi Aboriginal Community College, Port Adelaide, as well as at the University of South Australia. She wrote and delivered the inaugural Indigenous Art, Culture and Design course to the South Australian School of Art students before commencing at the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) in 2008. Cumpston is currently the Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at AGSA and since 2014 has also been the Artistic Director of Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art. An exhibiting artist since 1998, she has been invited to participate in many prestigious awards, group and solo exhibitions, and her work is held in major institutions and private collections nationally and internationally.
Keely Eggmolesse (she/her) is a proud Kabi Kabi, Gooreng Gooreng and South Sea Islander woman with more than 12 years’ experience in the arts and community sectors. As a multidisciplinary artist, Keely enjoys exploring and combining different modalities in her rich storytelling. Her practice is built around embodied vocal techniques, informed by culture and community, and inspired by the song of country, tapping into her generational knowledge of healing through song.
Ellen van Neerven (they/them) is an award-winning author, editor and educator of Mununjali and Dutch heritage, working across fiction, poetry, plays and non-fiction. Their first book, Heat and Light (UQP, 2014), a novel-in-stories, was the recipient of the David Unaipon Award, the Dobbie Literary Award and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize. Their first poetry collection Comfort Food (UQP, 2016) won the Tina Kane Emergent Award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Kenneth Slessor Prize. Throat (UQP, 2020) was the recipient of Book of the Year, the Kenneth Slessor Prize and the Multicultural Award at 2021 NSW Literary Awards and the inaugural Quentin Bryce Award. Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity (UQP, 2023), a book that weaves history, memoir, journalism and poetry, received the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Non Fiction and is forthcoming in North America in April 2024 through Two Dollar Radio. They are the editor of three collections, including the recent Homeland Calling: Words from a New Generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voices and Unlimited Futures with Rafeif Ismail.
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
Exhibition advisors: Robert Andrew (Yawuru), Nici Cumpston (Barkindji), Wesley Enoch AM (Quandamooka), and Ellen van Neerven (Mununjali Yugambeh).
Audio produced with Duncan King-Smith
Animations produced with Bacon Factory Films
A selection of works have audio descriptions, which are vivid verbal descriptions that make visual information accessible for people who are blind or have low vision, and offer a new perspective for everyone.
The social story illustrates a visit to QUT Art Museum with information about what to expect. This tool is designed for use by visitors requiring support to navigate through the Museum and enjoy the experience.
Sensory map (PDF, 302 KB)
The sensory map shows visitors where to expect artworks with moving image and sound, and interactive displays. It also shows where to find quieter spaces, audio described artworks, and seating.
Virtual tour (coming soon)
Take an interactive virtual tour of the exhibition from wherever you are in the world. Artwork labels are marked by teal tags, and audio descriptions are marked by orange tags.