The exhibition presents a selection of works by Durham which explores the relationship between forms and concepts. He combined words within his sculptures and drawings to conjure images and used images to convey ideas. His sculptural constructions were often combined with disparate elements, such as written messages, photographs, words, drawings and objects. The core of Durham's practice has always been his ability to explore the intrinsic qualities of the materials he used, at times fused with the agility of wordplay and, above all, irony.
Over his lifetime, Jimmie Durham has produced an expansive and compelling body of works, addressing issues of identity, colonization, state violence, racial stereotyping and commodification of culture.
Through his participation in significant exhibitions and symposia, from the 1980s onward, Durham and his work were of abiding resonance and relevance to curators, scholars and artists here, including many who have interpreted his practice from Indigenous perspectives. Durham’s work can still offer a vital perspective on the contemporary art and society; studying the relationship between the local and the global; the interface between art and activism; and the history of sculpture as a medium tactically and conceptually entwined with everyday life.