Gamilaroi artist and educator Warraba Weatherall launched his first solo museum exhibition, Shadow and Substance, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) on Thursday.

The exhibition features recent and new works that examine the ongoing impact of colonial-era collecting practices on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Through installation, sculpture and video, Mr Weatherall explores how scientific and archival systems have contributed to the creation and reinforcement of racial categories.

Mr Weatherall said the exhibition draws on research conducted within archives and institutions, aiming to highlight how these historical materials continue to influence society.

"It's really looking at history of the geology and the sciences and how the creation of racial categories and that type of stuff has been naturalised within social and political systems today," he said.

He said he hopes the exhibition encourages people to think critically about their own roles within these systems.

"Just about individual accountability and awareness," he said.

"This isn't something that's just isolated here. It's a global problem."

The works in Shadow and Substance consider the legacy of colonial power and the way cultural materials were collected and interpreted without the voices of Indigenous people.

"The generational lineage of power and possession of our materials and also the stories that are being created without our voices about us continue to affect us," he said.

Mr Weatherall said international visitors may recognise similar patterns in their own countries.

"I hope that they get more of an insight for Indigenous peoples here and then go back to where they're from and probably understand that that's likely happened to the local mob from where they're from," he said.

Shadow and Substance is showing at the MCA Australia's Level 1 South Gallery until 7 September.