Ebony Hickey

The Right Black to Adopt

23 April 2026 – 7 June 2026

The Right Black to Adopt centres on my lived experience of queerness, Black identity, and inter-country adoption, told through collage, drawing, painting, and spoken word.

The title is a double entendre that explores both the history of Black intercountry adoption in Australia and the fetishisation and consumption of “Black culture” in mainstream and queer communities.

As a queer, Black, Haitian-born Australian adoptee, my perspective is rarely represented within mainstream LGBTQIA+ spaces in Australia. This body of work brings my voice and perspective to the forefront.

Through humour, vulnerability, and autobiographical themes, these original works challenge dominant narratives within queer spaces by foregrounding intersectional identity and ideas of belonging.

The Right Black to Adopt invites audiences to consider how layered identities shape experiences of community, visibility, and inclusion. The project aligns closely with the Pride Centre’s commitment to amplifying diverse voices and lived experiences. My practice is both deeply personal and community-driven, aiming to open conversations, shift perceptions, and celebrate the power of self-definition and determination.

Ebony Hickey is a Haitian-born Australian contemporary artist whose practice confronts ideas of identity, intercountry adoption, sexuality, queerness, and Blackness. Drawing from her lived experience, she creates expressive collages and intricate drawings, using a wide range of materials to tell stories rooted in both personal and political realities. Performance is also an important element of her practice, allowing her to explore visibility, resistance, and self-authorship across multiple forms.