A touring exhibition program of contemporary Australian video art, featuring 19 Australian artists. The exhibition toured to Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul in 2004–2005.

ARTISTS: Guy Benfield, Philip Brophy, Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Daniel Crooks, DAMP, Destiny Deacon, Virginia Fraser, Shaun Gladwell, Lyndal Jones, The Kingpins, Marcus Lyall, James Lynch, Tracey Moffatt, TV Moore, Patricia Piccinini, David Rosetzky, Ivan Sen, Monika Tichacek, Craig Walsh

Exhibition Dates and Venues:

Bangkok, July-August 2004, Chulalongkorn University
Singapore, October-November 2004, NAFA
Seoul, February-March 2005, Ssamzie Space

Catalogue text by Alexie Glass and Sarah Tutton:

I thought I knew but I was wrong: New Video Art from Australia explores the impact of video art on Australian contemporary art over the past five years. Showcasing a diverse selection of video works, the exhibition introduces audiences to the ways in which Australian artists are using video to explore ideas of identity, lifestyle and society within the context of a diverse and multifaceted arts culture. Disparate in subject matter and style, the works in this exhibition share a common urge to communicate something immediate and relevant to their audience. I thought I knew but I was wrong is a snapshot of the range and breadth of Australian contemporary visual culture - from the slick to the lo-fi, the luxurious to the raw, and the comic to the confessional.

I thought I knew but I was wrong presents the work of nineteen artists in three interconnected screening programs: Persona, Play and Space. These programs are intended as fluid groupings through which the viewer is able to engage with the works and the broad themes of identity, representation and the constructed environment. The exhibition includes work by both internationally renowned artists such as Tracey Moffatt, Patricia Piccinini and Destiny Deacon, as well as younger artists such as David Rosetzky and Shaun Gladwell, who have only begun to exhibit internationally over the past few years. The exhibition also includes works by Ivan Sen, Amiel Courtin-Wilson and Marcus Lyall, artists who are known primarily for their work in the film and television sector. Sen won considerable international acclaim for his film Beneath Clouds, while Lyall's multi-screen works have been used as part of stadium concert tours by U2, Oasis and the Rolling Stones. Courtin-Wilson has worked extensively in documentary film with the Australian multicultural network, SBS.

This project was a partnership between Asialink and ACMI.