In his work "kith and kin", Kamilaroi and Bigambul artist Archie Moore's family tree is hand-drawn in chalk across blackboard walls, spanning more than 2400 generations.
A reflective pool sits in the middle of the space, with more than 500 documents, mostly from coronial inquests since 1991, stacked and suspended above.
"The whole thing is meant to look like a shrine or a memorial," Moore told AAP.
Many of the coroner's reports are documents drawn from archives about Archie Moore's relatives. Credit: Archie Moore / kith and kin 2024 / Australia Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2024 / Photographer Andrea Rossetti / © the artist / Images courtesy of the artist and The Commercial
The history chronicled in the genealogical tree maps the expansive kinship systems of Indigenous people and also includes Moore's British ancestors.
Among the stacks of coroner's reports are documents drawn out of archives about Moore's uncle and grandparents, a commentary about the very institutions they were held in.
They are evidence of the ways historical laws, such as state-based "protection acts", impacted the lives of Indigenous people since colonisation.
"They exist in the archive because they're Aboriginal people and they come under certain laws and acts that were designed for them," he said.
"They disappear out of the archives as well once they get an exemption from the act."
Just as it maps history, kith and kin made history in 2024, taking out the Venice Biennale's Golden Lion for Best National Participation.
It was the first time an Australian entry won the award.
"They say Venice is the longest-running cultural event in the world - I'm pretty sure there's probably Indigenous events that are older," Moore said.
"But it did start in the 1800s, so it's great to be recognised alongside all the previous winners."
Curated by Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art's Ellie Buttrose, kith and kin has been donated to the museum and the Tate in London, and will be in Brisbane until October 2026.
With Moore's own family history in southeast Queensland central to kith and kin, the location is a fitting place for the work to make its first appearance since its debut in Italy.
"My Aboriginal family lived along the McIntyre River," he said.
"That river forms part of the Queensland border, so a lot of those people are in the work as well, their names and some documents from the archives."
Kith and kin will be on display from Saturday at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane.
