Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Indigenous DC superheroes, Pac-Man ghost statues, US-based Cambodian temple deities, and a mandatory queer love triangle. $25 adult entry, unless you’re Aboriginal and select “Mob Tix” for free. Is it just me, or has modern Australian art completely lost the plot?
I’m not an artist, but I don’t mind art. That said, Australia’s contemporary art scene has been completely overrun by modern-day wokeness.
Take, for example, the Museum of Contemporary Art located on Sydney Harbour. Their website, naturally, begins with a giant, unavoidable splash screen of an Aboriginal person seemingly washing their hands in white paint, accompanied by Aboriginal words written in English script—which, obviously, is useless to all but the most obsessed scholars.
Either way, after that, you finally arrive on the museum’s homepage.
Click through to tickets, and you’ll land on the Museum Admission page, where adult entry will set you back $25. If you’re a struggling pensioner or uni student, they’ll graciously knock five dollars off, provided you present official proof of concession or a valid ID. We can’t have the lower-middle class scamming the museum out of valuable income. But if you select “Mob Tix”—reserved strictly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people—it’s completely free. Because, obviously, the museum assumes all Aboriginal people are dirt poor. What other explanation could there possibly be?
The main feature on their Events page is Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir. Look, I’m not here to mock the art, but the main image is literally two Aboriginal boys dressed in Batman and Superman costumes. How is that even art? Batman and Superman aren’t even Australian—am I missing something here?
But it’s not just race. Gender is, of course, front and centre in modern Australian art with an artwork by Nell titled Holding Both. The museum describes it as a sculpture that “honours the power and presence of women.”
And here’s the artist herself, crouching proudly beside her masterpiece—because nothing embodies the raw power and presence of women quite like a naked green bronze statue balancing two glowing Pac-Man ghosts on a stick. Sorry, I promise that will be the last time I mock any of the art.
But their flagship exhibition is Primavera: Young Australian Artists. This exhibition is apparently so vital to the national culture that even ABC News ran a dedicated, publicly-funded fluff piece on it.
It features quintessential Australian art, like this piece from Linda Sok titled Deities in Temples XXI. Because when people think of iconic Australian culture, ancient temple deities are obviously top of mind.
The ABC notes that Ms Sok actually lives in the United States and created this artwork to reconnect with her Cambodian heritage. Which makes total sense: an American-based artist exploring her Cambodian roots is, as I’m sure you’ll agree, classic Australian art.
They even feature a white male artist—I know, that doesn’t sound right, does it? The ABC writes: “Callum McGrath’s History Piece delves into a love story with a grisly ending.” Sounds intriguing!
Well... until you scroll down to the actual description: “Callum McGrath’s work examines a queer love triangle.” Of course it does. They add that “the Naarm/Melbourne based artist has often explored queer history in his work,” quoting him directly: “The homosexual element really comes out of a confession.”
Because heaven forbid the ABC highlight a story that doesn’t tick a mandatory activism box.
Despite how much fun I’m having here, I’ll hurry this along. The exhibition features artist Mark Maurangi Carrol, who was born in Dharawal Country, lives and works in Gadigal Country, and is a Māori Kūki Āirani artist from the Cook Islands.
So he’s a Cook Islander born and living in New South Wales, claiming three different nations before he even picks up a paintbrush. Because God forbid an artist just be from Sydney.
Also featured is an artist duo—a man and a woman, or at least I assume—named Stanton Cornish-Ward and Trent Crawford. Frankly, those both sound like private school boys’ names to me, but I couldn’t be bothered investigating any further.
Perhaps I was being a bit naive, but when I first looked into this exhibition, I foolishly thought they’d feature famous Aussie artist Barry “Bazza” Smith and his iconic piece, Self-Portrait of a Man Eating a Meat Pie with Dead Horse. Or maybe Kev “Davo” Davenport’s timeless masterpiece, Pass Me the Jugs, Love.
But no. Instead, we were treated to Aboriginal boys dressed as American superheroes, a powerful woman balancing Pac-Man ghosts on her shoulders, US residents painting Cambodian deities, and of course—because no Australian art exhibition is complete without one—a gay love triangle.
And best of all? You can enjoy the whole circus for free, provided you have the correct racial background.
Is it just me, or has modern Australian art completely lost the plot?
MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn
Indigenous DC superheroes, Pac-Man ghost statues, US-based Cambodian temple deities, and a mandatory queer love triangle. $25 adult entry, unless you’re Aboriginal and select “Mob Tix” for free. Is it just me, or has modern Australian art completely lost the plot?
I’m not an artist, but I don’t mind art. That said, Australia’s contemporary art scene has been completely overrun by modern-day wokeness.
Take, for example, the Museum of Contemporary Art located on Sydney Harbour. Their website, naturally, begins with a giant, unavoidable splash screen of an Aboriginal person seemingly washing their hands in white paint, accompanied by Aboriginal words written in English script—which, obviously, is useless to all but the most obsessed scholars.
Either way, after that, you finally arrive on the museum’s homepage.
Click through to tickets, and you’ll land on the Museum Admission page, where adult entry will set you back $25. If you’re a struggling pensioner or uni student, they’ll graciously knock five dollars off, provided you present official proof of concession or a valid ID. We can’t have the lower-middle class scamming the museum out of valuable income. But if you select “Mob Tix”—reserved strictly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people—it’s completely free. Because, obviously, the museum assumes all Aboriginal people are dirt poor. What other explanation could there possibly be?
The main feature on their Events page is Tony Albert: Not a Souvenir. Look, I’m not here to mock the art, but the main image is literally two Aboriginal boys dressed in Batman and Superman costumes. How is that even art? Batman and Superman aren’t even Australian—am I missing something here?
But it’s not just race. Gender is, of course, front and centre in modern Australian art with an artwork by Nell titled Holding Both. The museum describes it as a sculpture that “honours the power and presence of women.”
And here’s the artist herself, crouching proudly beside her masterpiece—because nothing embodies the raw power and presence of women quite like a naked green bronze statue balancing two glowing Pac-Man ghosts on a stick. Sorry, I promise that will be the last time I mock any of the art.
But their flagship exhibition is Primavera: Young Australian Artists. This exhibition is apparently so vital to the national culture that even ABC News ran a dedicated, publicly-funded fluff piece on it.
It features quintessential Australian art, like this piece from Linda Sok titled Deities in Temples XXI. Because when people think of iconic Australian culture, ancient temple deities are obviously top of mind.
The ABC notes that Ms Sok actually lives in the United States and created this artwork to reconnect with her Cambodian heritage. Which makes total sense: an American-based artist exploring her Cambodian roots is, as I’m sure you’ll agree, classic Australian art.
They even feature a white male artist—I know, that doesn’t sound right, does it? The ABC writes: “Callum McGrath’s History Piece delves into a love story with a grisly ending.” Sounds intriguing!
Well... until you scroll down to the actual description: “Callum McGrath’s work examines a queer love triangle.” Of course it does. They add that “the Naarm/Melbourne based artist has often explored queer history in his work,” quoting him directly: “The homosexual element really comes out of a confession.”
Because heaven forbid the ABC highlight a story that doesn’t tick a mandatory activism box.
Despite how much fun I’m having here, I’ll hurry this along. The exhibition features artist Mark Maurangi Carrol, who was born in Dharawal Country, lives and works in Gadigal Country, and is a Māori Kūki Āirani artist from the Cook Islands.
So he’s a Cook Islander born and living in New South Wales, claiming three different nations before he even picks up a paintbrush. Because God forbid an artist just be from Sydney.
Also featured is an artist duo—a man and a woman, or at least I assume—named Stanton Cornish-Ward and Trent Crawford. Frankly, those both sound like private school boys’ names to me, but I couldn’t be bothered investigating any further.
Perhaps I was being a bit naive, but when I first looked into this exhibition, I foolishly thought they’d feature famous Aussie artist Barry “Bazza” Smith and his iconic piece, Self-Portrait of a Man Eating a Meat Pie with Dead Horse. Or maybe Kev “Davo” Davenport’s timeless masterpiece, Pass Me the Jugs, Love.
But no. Instead, we were treated to Aboriginal boys dressed as American superheroes, a powerful woman balancing Pac-Man ghosts on her shoulders, US residents painting Cambodian deities, and of course—because no Australian art exhibition is complete without one—a gay love triangle.
And best of all? You can enjoy the whole circus for free, provided you have the correct racial background.
Is it just me, or has modern Australian art completely lost the plot?
MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn
