A fascinating exploration of the creative process, Quilty: Painting the Shadows follows Ben Quilty as he completes one of his most challenging art works – a painting about the Myall Creek massacre of 1838 where 12 stockmen brutally slaughtered 28 Aboriginal people who were camped peacefully at Myall Creek Station in northern NSW.

Using the Art Gallery of South Australia’s 2019 survey exhibition of Quilty’s work as a framework for her film, Catherine Hunter explores the journey of the artist from that of a young man obsessed with Holden Toranas to the one who brought, through his art, the full spectrum of the Afghanistan tragedy to public consciousness.

“Ben paints with purpose and reminds us that art has a role to play in our lives and in thinking through who we are.”
Lisa Slade / Assistant Director, Art Gallery of South Australia

duration: 60 minutes