Direct, Directed, Directly

Friday 28 February — Friday 30 May 2025

Samstag Galleries 1, 2 & 3

Richard Bell (Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang) / Madison Bycroft / Kuba Dorabialski / Danielle Freakley / Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader / Monte Masi / Chunxiao Qu

Direct, Directed, Directly takes communication — speaking directly, speaking indirectly, looking for meaning, double meanings and breakdowns — as a point of departure.

Installed across the two levels of Samstag Museum, Direct, Directed, Directly draws together Australian and international artists working across performance, moving image, installation and sound. The exhibition dives into the gap between what is said and what is heard. Ranging from the theatrical to the philosophical, the works invoke gesture, translation and language to broach the difficulties of communicating. How do we say what we need to say, and who’s listening? Are we making sense? What’s the point in trying?

Communication is a two-way process that can succeed, sometimes, but can also fail spectacularly. Direct, Directed, Directly is an exhibition that believes that, amid the inherent frustration, futility and misunderstandings, there is catharsis to be found in the humour and absurdity of our attempts to connect.