Dr Christian Thompson AO | House of Gold
Dr Christian Thompson AO traverses and dissolves binary boundaries through an artistic practice that spans photography, performance, sculpture, moving image and sound. House of Gold draws inspiration from a line of Song Dynasty poetry 书中自有黄金屋 [shū zhōng zì yǒu huáng jīn wū], or, ‘a book in the hand holds a house of gold’, and explores Thompson’s Chinese heritage, dating back to the 1850s Gold Rush migration boom. The exhibition chronicles a personal history of intersectional identity at generational scale, where Thompson gives us glimpses of intimate moments shared between both his First Nations Bidjara and Cantonese family – learnings of language, food and self that make the artist whole.
Curated by Thea-Mai Baumann and Con Gerakaris with curatorial support from Reina Takeuchi from 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, the national tour of House of Gold, developed with Museums & Galleries of NSW, is bringing this exhibition to regional and public galleries across Australia from 2025 to 2028.
Visit House of Gold website here
About the artist

Dr Christian Thompson AO is a Bidjara/Irish/Chinese-Australian contemporary artist whose work explores notions of identity, cultural hybridity & history. Formally trained as a sculptor, Thompson’s multidisciplinary practice engages mediums such as photography, video, sculpture, performance & sound. His work focuses on the exploration of identity, sexuality, gender, race and memory. In his live performances and conceptual portraits he inhabits a range of personas achieved through handcrafted costumes & carefully orchestrated poses & backdrops.
About the Curators

Thea-Mai Baumann joined 4A as Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer in February 2023. She is a creative executive, artist, creative technologist and producer of Vietnamese-Swiss heritage.
Con Gerakaris is Curatorial Program Manager at 4A. He is a curator, arts administrator and writer. His areas of interest frequently revolve around social phenomena, subcultures, contemporary urban experiences and our relationship to the built environment.
- Previously AtWagga Wagga Art Gallery (NSW)8th November 2025 - 26th January 2026
- Previously At: Manning Regional Art Gallery (NSW)6th February - 28th March 2026
- Previously At: Cairns Art Gallery (QLD)11th April - 14th June 2026
- Currently AtCaboolture Regional Art Gallery (QLD)27th June - 13th September 2026
- Future LocationsJervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery, NSW (NSW)24th September - 8th November 2026
- Future Locations: Orange Regional Gallery (NSW)28th November 2026 - 7th February 2027
- Future Locations: Watt Space Gallery (NSW)25th March - 8th May 2027
- Future Locations: UniSQ Art Gallery (QLD)8th June - 30th July 2027
- Future Locations: Goulburn Regional Art Gallery (NSW)13th August - 1st October 2027
- Future Locations: Bunjil Place (VIC)18th December 2027 - 27th February 2028
- Future Locations: Plimsoll Gallery (TAS)11th March - 30th April 2028
Map showing NETS exhibition tour locations across Australia. A text list of the locations follows.
- Wagga Wagga Art Gallery (NSW)
- Manning Regional Art Gallery (NSW)
- Cairns Art Gallery (QLD)
- Caboolture Regional Art Gallery (QLD) (current location)
- Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery, NSW (NSW)
- Orange Regional Gallery (NSW)
- Watt Space Gallery (NSW)
- UniSQ Art Gallery (QLD)
- Goulburn Regional Art Gallery (NSW)
- Bunjil Place (VIC)
- Plimsoll Gallery (TAS)