How a prominent Aboriginal activist's vision was shaped by a visit to Hong Kong
Langton arrived in the city in 1971 while she was on a years-long journey around Asia to escape the racism that pervaded her life in her home state of Queensland.
The trip transformed her. Unencumbered by the daily discrimination she faced at home, she had the freedom to think about race, culture and community in ways that still inform her work today.
In Hong Kong, Langton was delighted to discover that people were curious about her heritage, rather than dismissive.
'I was the subject of great fascination,' she says. 'Wherever I went, people would gather around and stare at me, and I would try to talk to them. I'd make a few friends, be offered food [and] invited to sit down.'
Installation view of '65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art' at the Potter Museum of Art, at the University of Melbourne. Co-curated by Langton, the exhibition features more than 400 works. Photo: Christian Capurro
At first, Langton lived in Kowloon, but she struggled with the extreme urban density and regular police raids in the area.
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