Cleverman

‘Cleverman: a superhero for the past, present and future’ celebrates the groundbreaking comic and critically acclaimed Indigenous TV series. Brought to the Northern Territory from the Australian Centre for Moving Image (ACMI), the exhibition explores First Nations storytelling, language and creativity, presenting the audience with props, costumes, production design and audio-visual installations. Audiences are invited to listen first and immerse themselves in this powerful contemporary expression of The Dreaming.
Cleverman stormed onto ABC TV in 2016 as a dystopian sci-fi with a difference. With a predominantly Indigenous cast and senior crew, the series takes a selection of well-known Aboriginal origin stories and recasts them in a contemporary context, exploring themes of class, racism and power. Including interviews with the cast and crew, and original artwork from the comic book series, the exhibition experience maps the making of the television series from Aboriginal Dreaming and mythology, to contemporary moving image.
This exhibition was produced by ACMI and ACMI’s First Nations curator Kathrine Clarke (a proud Wotjobaluk woman from the Wimmera) and co-curated by Cleverman concept creator Ryan Griffen and Cleverman production designer Jacob Nash. ACMI’s Cleverman exhibition was conceived and developed in close consultation with a multi-disciplinary Indigenous Advisory Group. This exhibition is ACMi’s first in the Territory, and is proudly supported by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.