Tony Albert, a 45-year-old artist of Girramay, Yidinji, and Kuku-Yalanji heritage, has spent decades collecting thousands of objects he terms 'Aboriginalia'—kitsch, caricatured, and often racist depictions of Aboriginal people created by non-Indigenous Australians. His solo exhibition 'Not a Souvenir' opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney on 21 May, showcasing over 3,000 items from his collection alongside transformed artworks. The MCA is inviting the public to donate additional Aboriginalia items to Albert's collection, which is housed in his Brisbane studio.
The exhibition matters because it reclaims and recontextualizes objects that reinforce colonial narratives, turning painful stereotypes into a powerful artistic and political statement. Albert's work caps a landmark period in his career, including roles as inaugural First Nations curatorial fellow for the 2024 Biennale of Sydney and artistic director of the 2025 National Indigenous Art Triennial, as well as receiving France's Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. By inviting public donations, the project expands a living archive that challenges Australia's ongoing commodification of Indigenous culture.