Tony Albert’s ‘Not a Souvenir’ exhibition critiques commodification at Sydney’s MCA

Tony Albert’s solo exhibition, Not a Souvenir, opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Sydney on 21 May, presenting over 3,000 items from his personal collection of Aboriginalia. The show, described as the largest survey of Albert’s work to date, features racist memorabilia depicting First Nations people created by non-Indigenous makers. The exhibition critiques the commodification and misrepresentation of Indigenous culture and invites the public to donate similar items to Albert’s collection, which is now housed in his Brisbane studio.

Situated at Tallawoladah, a site Albert describes as an epicentre for cultural commodification due to its proximity to souvenir shops and colonial landmarks, the exhibition engages directly with its tourist-heavy environment. Key installations include an Aboriginalia room, an installation of over 450 souvenir boomerangs, and a large text work featuring nearly 450 letters embedded with pieces of Aboriginalia. Specific artworks include vintage velvet paintings overlaid with slogans such as NOT A SOUVENIR and WELCOME TO COUNTRY / EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP.

A photo series features artfully arranged vintage tea towels and ashtrays, with lit cigarettes resting on Aboriginal bodies and faces. The exhibition also features non-Aboriginalia works, including collages engaging with Margaret Preston’s appropriation of Aboriginal aesthetics and the photo series Warakurna Superheroes, created with children from a remote Northern Territory community. Albert recently served as the inaugural First Nations curatorial fellow for the 2024 Biennale of Sydney and artistic director of the 2025 National Indigenous Art Triennial.

In December, the French Ministry of Culture named Albert a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. Albert and fellow Art Gallery of NSW trustees recently judged and awarded the Archibald Prize. The artist, who coined the term Aboriginalia in his twenties, has spent decades collecting these objects to interrogate colonial narratives and reinforce the humanity of First Peoples.

The MCA is inviting the public to donate items to Albert’s vast collection as part of the exhibition. Albert notes that while the items can be confronting, his work aims to turn a conversation of disempowerment into one that is empowering for Aboriginal people, voices, cultures, identities, and knowledges. The exhibition remains open to the public at the MCA in Sydney.