Nicholas Currie
Messenger
29 August - 3 October 2026
Opening 2-4pm Saturday 29 August
PERFORMANCE FROM 2.30pm
Nicholas Currie’s exhibition is titled from Yuin and Yorta Yorta musician Jimmy Little’s album, Messenger (1999), which sees Little cover “Australian” rock songs, claiming them as interpretations. Currie’s body of work is a direct musing on this album: he listened to the songs whilst painting, letting Little’s voice and words influence the works. Each painting is named after one of the songs from the album, with Currie reflecting on ideas of interpretation and listening.
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Nicholas Currie is an artist and curator working with painting, sculpture and performance. Currie is from the Mununjali clan of the Yugambeh language group, with connection to Kuku Yalanji, and currently lives on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne. Humour and kindness are undercurrents to the major themes addressed in his works: contemporary Indigenous perspectives, hauntology and exploration of identity within current Australia.
Currie’s projects in 2026 include a large commissioned body of work for NEW26 at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, solo exhibitions at Daine Singer, Black Dot and Caves, as well as a number of curated group exhibitions. Currie has exhibited at Daine Singer, Connors Connors, Sullivan + Strumpf, Futures, Kings Artist Run Space, Blak Dot Gallery, Koorie Heritage Trust, Outer Space, Craft, Incinerator Gallery, Ordinance Gallery, and the Margaret Lawrence Gallery. He recently presented ‘Stars, Scars, Sagas' together with Amelia Griffin-Toovey through the Public Art Melbourne Test Site program. Currie has published two artist books with Stray Pages: I can laugh with you and OBSERVATION NOITAVRESBO. He has a BFA Honours from the Victorian College of the Arts.
His work is held in collections including Monash University, Nillumbik Council, and ANZ.
“Interpretation is about learning and learning is about reflection. Our own actions and how to be better from ourselves, the people or teachings around us. Listening is important. I am no perfect person and I am sure not a perfect painter. With art it’s a tight rope of wanting to run and be prepared and poised.
This album is one of the formative artworks for myself. Little states: “It just had to be my interpretation... Breathing my sentiment into the songs that were already breathing their own sentiment and feelings. I really just followed on and added, I guess, a little bit of me.”
I guess if I can do that via some paintings, then I’m kicking goals. I laid on a beach in Boorloo repetitively listening to one of his songs with the waves coming closer thinking of imagery, colours and what to do for this show. It all clicked, laying in the sand. Listening to the songs as I paint and having the titles of the pieces be the songs themselves. I am not gonna say my favourite song but let’s see if you can tell from the paintings.”
Nicholas Currie portrait, photograph: Kyle Archie Knight