Destiny Deacon, Purveyor of ‘Koori Kitsch’, Dies at 67

Destiny Deacon 1957-2024, Australia Follow +

Indigenous Australian artist Destiny Deacon has died, announced Sydney‘s Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery on Friday.

‘It is with profound sadness that we share news of the passing of Destiny Deacon, a pioneering artist and cherished friend of the gallery for more than 20 years,’ they shared in an email.

Born in Queensland in 1957 with Kuku (Cape York) and Erub/Mer (Torres Strait) ancestry, Vale Destiny Deacon began her career as a radio host and screenwriter before pursuing art seriously from the 1990s.

In her photographs, Deacon made use of a trove of toys and souvenirs she’d already collected, including boomerangs, teaspoons, ceramics, prints, and black dolls.

She told The Guardian she felt sorry for these items—collectively described as ‘Koori kitsch’, referring to Indigenous people from Southeastern Australia.

To her, they represented the way white Australia saw Aboriginal people as ‘the flora, the fauna, and the objects.’

‘I just thought, well, [those things] have just as much to say,’ she said.

Rosyln Oxley9 said Deacon’s ‘commitment to socio-political dissidence is exemplified in the triptych Blak lik mi (1991–2003)’, a work with very deliberate spelling.

Tired of hearing the c-word yelled at Black people, Deacon explained, ‘I just wanted to take the “c” out of “Black”.’

Deacon presented her work at major exhibitions including Documenta in 2002, the Biennale of Sydney in 2008, and the 2023 Sharjah Biennial. An installation of photographs of black dolls also features in the current Biennale of Sydney, which continues through 10 June.

‘Destiny’s work, Blak Bay, at the Biennale of Sydney, stands as her final masterpiece—a testament to her resilience and immense contributions, created with tireless dedication even while she was ill,’ Biennale of Sydney shared on their Instagram.

Deacon’s major solo exhibitions include Walk & don’t look blak at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in 2004, and Destiny at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2020. —[O]

Main image: Destiny Deacon, A seat at the table (2022). Super 8 single-channel projection with table and chair. Courtesy Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.