From today, millions of visitors from around the world will be farewelled by a striking work of contemporary art by Kamilaroi artist Archie Moore’s as they depart Australia.
Moore’s United Neytions, which consists of 28 large flags that hang dramatically from the 17-metre high ceiling of Sydney Airport’s T1 International Marketplace, was this morning unveiled by the airport and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for the first time.
United Neytions will contribute to a strengthened sense of place for departing visitors and leave an enduring, positive impression. Moore’s work also speaks to the incredible diversity of Aboriginal histories and cultures in both Sydney and Australia.
As part of a landmark partnership between Sydney Airport and the MCA, Moore’s work was selected from among a number of artists’ proposals by an esteemed panel.
Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert said travellers were certain to be captivated by United Neytions.
“We’re proud to support Archie Moore’s vision and are excited about the incredible cultural experience United Neytions will foster,” he said.
“We’re committed to celebrating the very best of local and Australian talent and showcasing our city and nation’s rich and wonderful stories.
“We’re very much focused on continually finding new ways to ensure both local and international travellers enjoy a dynamic and unique experience whenever they visit Sydney Airport.”
MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE, said: “I am delighted that we have developed this partnership with Sydney Airport to commission such an important work of contemporary art for this high-profile location.”
“From today, the millions of international travellers that pass through Sydney Airport each year will encounter this incredible work by Kamilaroi artist Archie Moore. Flags are a potent symbol of cultural identity and this work celebrates the diversity of Aboriginal cultures in Australia.
“Arts and culture are important part of creating an identity for the city, and I believe this work by Archie will become an iconic work of Australian art.”
Moore, recognised as a leading contemporary Australian artist, said: “I’d like the thank Sydney Airport who, partnered with the Museum of Contemporary Australia, have provided this opportunity to reconfigure United Neytions. This opportunity has allowed this series of flags that celebrates issues of place and identity to adopt a scale and status that official international flags have; drawing attention to the histories, voices and presence of local indigenous people on whose traditional lands the airport (an international zone/ ‘no man’s land’) lies, but also the passages of cultures, pasts, territories, ages and cultural knowledges that airports foster.”
“These United Neytions, nations of the imagination, include this area of Sydney. I would like to thank local Elders, Vic Simms and Laddie Timbery and their families, as well as the La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council for hosting United Neytions on their land,” added Moore.
Greater Sydney Commission Chief Commissioner Ms Lucy Turnbull AO, who was a member of the panel that selected Moore’s piece, commented: “Archie’s work plays a very important part in creating a sense of place for all our international visitors. United Neytions will be a conversation piece that captures the wonderful diversity of voices and stories across Australia.”
Moore’s work is a major addition to the significant art collection already on display across Sydney Airport’s terminals, which includes pieces by a strong mix of local, international and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
ABOUT SYDNEY AIRPORT Sydney Airport is Australia’s gateway airport, serving more than 43.3 million passengers a year and connecting Sydney to a network of over 100 international, domestic and regional destinations.
Located just eight kilometres from the city centre, Sydney Airport contributes $38 billion in economic activity a year, equivalent to 6.8 per cent of the NSW economy. Sydney Airport is a major employer in NSW, generating more than 338,500 direct and indirect jobs, equivalent to 10.1 per cent of NSW employment. 30,900 of these jobs are at the airport itself across 800 different businesses.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART AUSTRALIA Located in Circular Quay on the edge of Sydney Harbour, the MCA stands on a land of immense cultural and historical significance to the traditional owners of this place, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. It is Australia’s leading museum dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists. The MCA celebrates the work of living artists, bringing exceptional exhibitions of international and Australian art to as many people as possible – welcoming over a million visitors each year – in the belief that art is for everyone. The MCA Collection contains over 4,000 works by Australian artists that have been acquired since 1989. The Museum collects across all art forms with strong holdings in painting, photography, sculpture, works on paper and moving image, as well as significant representation of works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
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