One Object 一物
One Object was MOCA’s first exhibition, and the first time 744 George Street had opened to the public since its years as the Haymarket Library.
Staged in a building that still bore the marks of its former lifeStaged in a building that still bore the marks of its former life, it was a photographic essay commissioned from Chinese Australian photographer Ken Leanfore and curated by Kim Tao.
Leanfore photographed ten Chinese Australians, each alongside a single object of deep personal value: Gwenda Bau, Douglas Chang, Jeff Fatt, King Fong OAM, Trystan Go, Lilian Lai, Bill Ling, Elizabeth Pakchung, Claudia Chan Shaw and Siaoman Yen. The portraits drew out the connection between material culture, memory, family history and identity, and in doing so told the story of a museum that, at the time, had no collection of its own.
Staffed by MOCA’s volunteers, the exhibition ran for nearly three months and was free to visit.
Photography: Ken Leanfore
Curator: Kim Tao, Senior Curator, MOCA
