Heide Museum of Modern Art has announced a major exhibition in partnership with The Torch, set to run from 5 April to 20 July 2025.

Blak In-Justice: Incarceration and Resilience will feature works by leading First Nations artists alongside participants from The Torch program, highlighting the issue of Indigenous incarceration in Australia.

The exhibition includes work by prominent artists such as Gordon Bennett, Destiny Deacon, Richard Bell, Trevor Nickolls, and Julie Dowling.

It also showcases pieces by Jimmy Pike, whose artistic career began during his time in Fremantle Prison, and garments from his early Desert Designs range.

Artists from The Torch program, including Thelma Beeton, Stacey Edwards, Sean Miller, and Daniel Church, contribute deeply personal works reflecting their journeys and connections to culture.

Church's installation Pelican Mudjin (Family) symbolises ties between Aboriginal peoples of the southeast coast and his Darug heritage.

Curated by Barkindji artist Kent Morris, who is also Creative Director of The Torch, the exhibition presents works that address the overrepresentation of Indigenous Australians in the criminal justice system and the ongoing crisis of deaths in custody.

"A First Nations-developed and led project, the exhibition not only raises awareness of the mass incarceration of First Nations people but shines a light on what is being achieved to break the cycle of Indigenous imprisonment," Mr Morris said.

"The idea to present this exhibition in partnership with a major public museum has been formulating for many years, and I greatly appreciate the support and enthusiasm from the Heide team for the project."

He emphasised the role of art and culture in creating pathways to healing and self-determination.

"By sharing the stories of those who have experienced incarceration and how connection to art and culture has provided trailblazing pathways to healing and self-determination, we hope that visitors to the exhibition become a part of the solution to this ongoing issue," he said.

Indigenous Australians represent 32 per cent of the national adult prison population despite making up only three per cent of the total population.

Indigenous men are 17 times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous men, while Indigenous women are 25 times more likely.

Since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, incarceration rates have more than doubled, and deaths in custody have continued to rise.

The exhibition is supported by the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner and the Australian Government through Creative Australia.