B. 1957 - 2024

Destiny Deacon was born in Maryborough, Queensland in 1957 as a descendant of the Kuku (Far North Queensland) and Erub/Merr (Torres Strait) peoples. True to her name, Deacon was one of Australia’s boldest and most acclaimed contemporary Indigenous Australian artists. She lived in Melbourne for most of her life and her multi disciplinary practice included photography, film, sculpture, performance and installation. She utilised her craft to provoke, challenge and reimagine the tales of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using satirical ‘Blak’ humour. Despite growing up in regional Queensland, she spent most of her years and career in Melbourne.

Deacon is most well known for her “Aboriginalia” collection consisting of Black baby dolls and kitsch aesthetic to portray a blend of autobiographical and fictitious historical discourse on Aboriginal affairs that is informed by her personal experience and mass media. Deacon described herself as ‘just an old-fashioned political artist,’ and her multi-faceted art discipline and political activism reflects her sentiment. She holds this reputable position from her discourse around political, Indigenous and feminist concerns in her work.

Like Tracey Moffat, Deacon has been one of the few Australian artists that had an established contemporary international audience. Since first exhibiting her work at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney in 1991; Deacon has been represented in various prestigious international exhibitions such as the Yokohama Triennale, the first Johannesburg Biennale and the fifth Havana Biennale and the Biennale of Sydney.

To read a more in-depth biography of the artist, click here