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Born 1971, Carlton, Victoria, of the Meriam Mer, Erub, Ugar peoples of the Torres Strait and the Ku Ku people of far North Queensland
Since obtaining his Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting) at the Victorian College of the Arts (1992-94) and Master of Fine Art (Research) at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales (2001-03), Clinton Nain has established a significant place in the critical debates of contemporary Australian art.
Nain’s work confronts the continuing injustices suffered by the Indigenous peoples of Australia. His powerful symbolism evokes the wounds of dispossession – of country, culture and language – which lie at the heart of those who once were masters of their own destinies. Recurring images, such as his mother’s mission dress and the potholed road leading to her grave, point both to family loss and the ever-painful journey towards reconciliation and healing.
In 1999, Nain began his 'White King, Blak Queen’ series exploring colonisation through a black feminine perspective. Through performance, storytelling and staining fabrics with bleach, the Blak Queen boldly quests for equality. Nain explored these ideas further in his 2001 exhibition, 'Whitens, Removes Stains, Kills Germs’.
The artist’s brother, writer John Harding, has said: 'The Blak Queen is omnipotent, knows no boundaries and recognises no colonising fences. She has even transformed herself into a bird and flown out a window! She can turn everyday household items into weapons against colonisation and the fading of memory. Her splashes of bleach become evocative images of lingering memories, prodding us to remember the truth.’ (Melbourne, 2001)
Nain’s work remains uncompromising. Bitumen, house paint and varnish are now his principal mediums. His exhibitions – 'Living Under the Bridge’ (2003), 'The Dirty Deal Ain’t Clean’ (2005), 'A E I O U’ (2006) and 'Hurdy Gurdy (Wrong Way Around)’ (2007) – target the ongoing marginalisation of many Aboriginal people and communities in Australia. Following the national apology to the Stolen Generations, Nain’s plea is for us to listen to the voices of the most vulnerable in seeking resolution. 'What we artists create’, he says, 'is for everyone in the world.’

Writers:
Murray-Cree, Laura
Date written:
2006
Last updated:
2008

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Date modified Oct. 19, 2011, 12:49 p.m. June 8, 2011, 5:36 p.m.
Related events
  • Hurdy Gurdy (Wrong Way Round) (exhibited at)
  • Celebrating Aboriginal Rights? (exhibited at)
  • A E I O U (exhibited at)
  • Landmarks (None)
  • The Dirty Deal Ain't Clean (exhibited at)
  • Clinton Nain (exhibited at)
  • Paper Chase (exhibited at)
  • Embark on this journey, Dancelines: Contemporary Indigenous Art Inspired by Bangarra Dance Theatre (exhibited at)
  • Where's Jemima, L'art urbain du Pacifique (exhibited at)
  • Our Place: Indigenous Australia Now (exhibited at)
  • Masters of COFA (exhibited at)
  • You Never Said Thank You! (exhibited at)
  • Clinton Nain (exhibited at)
  • An Indigenous COFA Presence (exhibited at)
  • Beneath the Monsoon: Visions North of Capricorn (exhibited at)
  • Traditional Owners Ceremony (exhibited at)
  • Living Under the Bridge (exhibited at)
  • Post Mullet: New Australian Style (exhibited at)
  • What's Love Got To Do With It? (exhibited at)
  • Artful Park (exhibited at)
  • Whitens, Removes Stains, Kills Germs (exhibited at)
  • Bennett Nain Parr Tillers (exhibited at)
  • Gatherings (None)
  • Heritage Colours (exhibited at)
  • The Bleack is Blak (exhibited at)
  • White King Blak Queen (exhibited at)
  • Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival (exhibited at)
  • Bunjil: Creation Story (exhibited at)
  • Beyond the Pale: Contemporary Indigenous Art (None)
  • Fiction Factory (exhibited at)
  • It Reigns White King, Midsumma (exhibited at)
  • Seven Days Seven Nights of Blak Magic (exhibited at)
  • Mapping Our Countries (exhibited at)
  • The Art of Place (exhibited at)
  • White King Blak Queen (exhibited at)
  • Adornment (exhibited at)
  • Respect for Our Elders (exhibited at)
  • Ilan Pasin (This is Our Way): Torres Strait Art (exhibited at)
  • Over My Blak Body (exhibited at)
  • Urban Dreaming Different Meaning (exhibited at)
  • Black Roots (exhibited at)
  • Mommy Dearest (exhibited at)
  • Brilliant Blackness (exhibited at)
  • Primavera (exhibited at)
  • Pitched Blak (exhibited at)
  • 1967 - 1997: 30 Years On (exhibited at)
  • I Had a Dream: Australian Art in the 1960s (None)
  • I Can't Sleep at Night (exhibited at)
  • We Iri-We Homeborn (exhibited at)
  • Nambundah Festival Exhibition (exhibited at)
  • New Faces New Directions (exhibited at)
  • Blak City Culture (exhibited at)
  • Power of the Land (None)
  • St Kilda Pacific Arts Festival (exhibited at)
  • Duality: A World Within (exhibited at)
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Exhibition (exhibited at)
  • Kitch'en Koori (exhibited at)
  • Koori Art Exhibition (exhibited at)
  • Melbourne Fringe Festival (exhibited at)
  • Hurdy Gurdy (Wrong Way Round) (exhibited at)
  • Celebrating Aboriginal Rights? (exhibited at)
  • A E I O U (exhibited at)
  • The Dirty Deal Ain't Clean (exhibited at)
  • Clinton Nain (exhibited at)
  • Paper Chase (exhibited at)
  • Embark on this journey, Dancelines: Contemporary Indigenous Art Inspired by Bangarra Dance Theatre (exhibited at)
  • Where's Jemima, L'art urbain du Pacifique (exhibited at)
  • Our Place: Indigenous Australia Now (exhibited at)
  • Masters of COFA (exhibited at)
  • You Never Said Thank You! (exhibited at)
  • Clinton Nain (exhibited at)
  • An Indigenous COFA Presence (exhibited at)
  • Beneath the Monsoon: Visions North of Capricorn (exhibited at)
  • Traditional Owners Ceremony (exhibited at)
  • Living Under the Bridge (exhibited at)
  • Post Mullet: New Australian Style (exhibited at)
  • What's Love Got To Do With It? (exhibited at)
  • Artful Park (exhibited at)
  • Whitens, Removes Stains, Kills Germs (exhibited at)
  • Bennett Nain Parr Tillers (exhibited at)
  • Heritage Colours (exhibited at)
  • The Bleack is Blak (exhibited at)
  • White King Blak Queen (exhibited at)
  • Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival (exhibited at)
  • Bunjil: Creation Story (exhibited at)
  • Fiction Factory (exhibited at)
  • It Reigns White King, Midsumma (exhibited at)
  • Seven Days Seven Nights of Blak Magic (exhibited at)
  • Mapping Our Countries (exhibited at)
  • The Art of Place (exhibited at)
  • Ilan Pasin (This is Our Way): Torres Strait Art (exhibited at)
  • White King Blak Queen (exhibited at)
  • Adornment (exhibited at)
  • Respect for Our Elders (exhibited at)
  • Over My Blak Body (exhibited at)
  • Urban Dreaming Different Meaning (exhibited at)
  • Black Roots (exhibited at)
  • Mommy Dearest (exhibited at)
  • Brilliant Blackness (exhibited at)
  • Primavera (exhibited at)
  • Pitched Blak (exhibited at)
  • 1967 - 1997: 30 Years On (exhibited at)
  • I Can't Sleep at Night (exhibited at)
  • We Iri-We Homeborn (exhibited at)
  • Nambundah Festival Exhibition (exhibited at)
  • New Faces New Directions (exhibited at)
  • Blak City Culture (exhibited at)
  • St Kilda Pacific Arts Festival (exhibited at)
  • Duality: A World Within (exhibited at)
  • National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Exhibition (exhibited at)
  • Kitch'en Koori (exhibited at)
  • Koori Art Exhibition (exhibited at)
  • Melbourne Fringe Festival (exhibited at)
  • Landmarks (None)
  • Gatherings (None)
  • Beyond the Pale: Contemporary Indigenous Art (None)
  • I Had a Dream: Australian Art in the 1960s (None)
  • Power of the Land (None)