Archie Moore’s award-winning artwork is jointly acquired by Tate and QAGOMA
Tate has partnered with an art museum in Brisbane, Australia, to acquire artist Archie Moore’s award-winning artwork ‘kith and kin’.
Alongside Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, often known as QAGOMA, the purchase was made with support from Creative Australia and the Australian government.
Tate said Moore’s artwork “maps 65,000 years and 2,400 family generations through a genealogical chart hand-drawn in chalk across expansive walls. Evoking the artist’s Kamilaroi, Bigambul, British heritage, the piece brings international awareness to the vitality of kinship, while acting as a memorial to the past and present injustices faced by First Nations people.”
The artwork won the Golden Lion for Best National Participation at the 2024 La Biennale de Venezia.
Tate said the acquisition underscores its commitment to indigenous artists, and is hoped to strengthen ties between UK and Australian art institutions. Its Director Maria Balshaw added, “Archie Moore’s kith and kin is both highly personal and political, and it offers a powerful meditation on humanity’s interconnections stretching back into deep time.”
QAGOMA Director Chris Saines CNZM described the work as having “that rare power to still you into silence and reflection”.
The artwork is currently on display at the Australia Pavilion in Venice until November, when it will be presented at QAGOMA in Brisbane in 2025-2026. There are no published plans yet for the piece to be displayed at Tate.
