Sullivan+Strumpf Now Represents Atong Atem Ahead of NGV Solo
Sullivan+Strumpf has announced that they will represent Atong Atem, an artist with South Sudanese and Australian roots. Known for her intricately composed photographs, Atem explores themes of history, memory, performance, and imagination in her work. She draws from Dinka philosophy, African studio photography, family history, and various spiritual and artistic traditions. Born in 1991, Atem reimagines portraiture as a means of self-determination, actively altering inherited stories instead of just preserving them. This comes at a crucial time for her, as her first major solo exhibition, Passage: The Art of Atong Atem, is set to open at the National Gallery of Victoria on 30 October 2026 and will run until 14 June 2027, showcasing new pieces and a retrospective of her work over the past decade.
Key facts
- Sullivan+Strumpf announced representation of Atong Atem.
- Atong Atem is a South Sudanese Australian artist.
- Atem's work explores photography as a space where history, memory, performance, and imagination converge.
- Her practice draws on Dinka philosophy, African studio photography, family archives, and spiritual and visual traditions.
- Atem was born in 1991.
- Her first major institutional solo exhibition, Passage: The Art of Atong Atem, opens at the National Gallery of Victoria on 30 October 2026.
- The exhibition runs until 14 June 2027.
- The exhibition will premiere new works and survey the past decade of her practice.
Entities
Artists
- Atong Atem
Institutions
- Sullivan+Strumpf
- National Gallery of Victoria
Locations
- South Sudan
- Australia