Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir

This landmark monograph celebrates an artist, curator and cultural leader whose work reshapes how we see Aboriginal identity, urging a more honest and hopeful vision of Australia's past and future.

'Tony Albert is one of Australia's great living artists' - Suzanne Cotter, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

Tony Albert's art reclaims and reframes the imagery of Aboriginal Australia with wit, beauty and force. Across painting, photography, sculpture and installation, his practice explores Aboriginal culture, identity and history through a deeply personal lens. Drawing on individual and collective pasts, Albert transforms the visual language of colonisation - turning objects of prejudice into symbols of resistance, resilience and pride.

Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir is the most comprehensive publication on the artist to date, tracing his journey as one of Australia's most incisive contemporary voices. Across themes of past, present and future, the book unpacks the many critical questions raised in Albert's work: how do we remember, give justice to and rewrite complex and traumatic histories?

Edited by Liz Nowell with essays by leading curators and writers and designed with bold, graphic flair, this volume illuminates an extraordinary creative practice and affirms Tony Albert as a vital force in Australia's ongoing story of truth telling and cultural renewal..

Tony Albert

A Girramay, Yidindji, Kuku Yalanji man, Tony Albert is one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists with a longstanding interest in the cultural misrepresentation of Aboriginal people. He is a cultural leader, both as an artist and a curator. Drawing on both personal and collective histories, his multidisciplinary practice considers the ways in which optimism might be utilised to overcome adversity. He courageously engages in difficult conversations to shed light on problematic histories and current injustices faced by First Nations people. Albert is strongly represented in major national and international collections including Fondation Opal, Switzerland; Tia Art, National Gallery of Australia; National Gallery of Victoria; Australian War Memorial, Canberra; Parliament House New South Wales, Sydney; Art Gallery of New South Wales; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Art Gallery of Western Australia; Art Gallery of South Australia; and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.

Liz Nowell is a curator, cultural leader and writer with over 15 years' experience in Australian and international art. Her work engages with socially responsive practices and focuses on expanding narratives in contemporary art. She is Executive Director of Arts Project Australia, an internationally renowned organisation that supports neurodivergent artists and advocates for their inclusion in the visual arts sector. Previously, she led the Institute of Modern Art, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental, and the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia. Her curatorial projects include Rainbow Serpent (Version): Daniel Boyd, Marianna Simnett's CREATURE (co-curator) and Yhonnie Scarce: Missile Park.

Tony Albert, Liz Nowell
Published May 2026
Hardcover
400 pages
200 mm x 245 cm
ISBN 9781760764555