Gordon Bennett (9 October 1955 – 3 June 2014)[1] was an Birri Gubba and Darumbal artist of Aboriginal and Anglo-Celtic descent.
[4] In late 2007 he had a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, that set his works on colonialism in an international context.
Bennett exhibited his work in biennales in numerous cities, including Sydney, Venice, Gwangju, Shanghai, Prague and Berlin.
[7] Bennett expressed his discomfort with being seen as spokesman for Aboriginal peoples, and in a manifesto (or 'manifest toe' as he called it) published in 1996 he spoke of his wish "to avoid banal containment as a professional Aborigine, which both misrepresents me and denies my upbringing and Scottish/English heritage,"[8] while simultaneously expressing his wish that his young daughter could grow up in a society where her life would not be defined by her race.
[4] Noting the influence of Jackson Pollock, Piet Mondrian and Basquiat, she considered Bennett's style to be theoretical and confronting, and intended to encourage critical reflection on national identity.