Chau Chak Wing Museum’s Unprecedented (And Free) Tracey Moffatt Exhibition

Visitors to the University of Sydney’s Chau Chak Wing Museum (CCWM) will be able to indulge in a new collection of artwork, ephemera, and archival material by Australian artist Tracey Moffatt. Moffatt, widely regarded as Australia’s most recognised contemporary visual artist, is known for her photo-performative photography, experimental films, and videos.

The CCWM, which is free to visit and open 7 days, seeks to display work that celebrates art, science, history, and ancient cultures. Now, its gallery welcomes a donated collection of Moffatt’s works, including an edition of every photographic work, film, and video produced by Moffatt since 1985. It is the first donation of its kind to an Australian museum. 

Chau Chak Wing Museum’s Latest Exhibition: Tracey Moffatt Sorted – A Look At Her Archive

The resulting exhibition, entitled Tracey Moffatt Sorted – a look at her Archive, has been produced in collaboration with the artist, who has provided complete access to an archive of thousands of previously unseen documents. Among its displays will be “time capsules”, an idea inspired by Andy Warhol, which will include idea sketches, personal photographs, film props, correspondence, and photo test prints, which, according to Moffatt, “demonstrate ideas that didn’t work”.

Moffatt herself is a fan of the museum, describing a deep love for its eclectic collection.

“I just love that one can walk through the museum and see an ancient Egyptian mummy and then, around the corner, cool and often obscure international contemporary art from the 1960s,” she said.

Chau Chak Wing Museum director Michael Dagostino said the museum was honoured to be entrusted as custodian of Moffatt’s work.  

“When I started my arts career, I remember seeing the Scarred for Life series among other works by Tracey Moffatt and they still have a lasting impact on me today, as I am sure they have had on many others,” he said. 

“At any point in time, Tracey’s work is on display somewhere in the world. Tracey has been an innovator throughout her long and successful career. No museum in Australia has been gifted an artistic archive of such depth and scale.”

Moffatt’s career has spanned four decades, and has seen her hold dozens of solo exhibitions and included in several group exhibitions across the globe. Among her career highlights are films Nightcries – A Rural Tragedy (1989) and BeDevil (1993), which both featured at the Cannes Film Festival. Moffatt also represented Australia at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and, in 2012, became the first Australian artist to be honoured with a film retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.