Reko Rennie

Unconfined to one artistic discipline, Reko Rennie explores his Aboriginal identity through contemporary mediums. In particular, he incorporates his association with the Kamilaroi people into his work by using the traditional geometric patterning that represents his community. Through his colourful, often large-scale works—such as the four Murri Totem Poles in the forecourt of the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science at Bundoora, which intersect the five platonic solids of Western science and philosophy with Aboriginal patterns that pre-date Plato himself—Reko provokes discussion about Indigenous culture and identity in urban places and spaces.

Reko has shown locally and internationally, including in Paris, Berlin, Italy, Jakarta, Shanghai and the United States. Recent career highlights include the installation Regalia for the 2015 Venice Biennale’s group exhibition Personal Structures at the Palazzo Mora; a commission by the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art in 2013 to produce Trust the 2%, a 19-by-14-metre work for the gallery’s exhibition My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Australia; and a revered position as an Archibald Prize finalist in 2012.