‘As a child, I believed in magic’: Damien Shen’s ode to joy, childhood, and card tricks
Growing up, artist Damien Shen loved televised magic shows – but rarely saw his community on the stage. A new exhibition recaptures that sense of joy, while slipping First Nations representation into the deck.
“I’ve been leaning into this concept of childhood joy since the pandemic and Voice referendum, focusing on things that get me into the studio with a sense of excitement,” Damien Shen tells InReview.
In his latest body of work, My Cuzzy Nate and the 654 Club, Damien Shen draws inspiration from a childhood fascination with stage magic, and the joy and comfort these memories evoke.
Shen often combines traditional and personal elements in his practice, which is heavily influenced by his Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Chinese heritage.
This exhibition continues his exploration of childhood memories and popular culture, following his previous exhibition Entombed in Joy, which featured carved Ngarrindjeri shields emblazoned with Shen’s favourite cartoon characters from He Man and Optimus Prime to Homer Simpson.
Shen’s new, multifaceted installation incorporates moving image, performance and analogue photography, creating a narrative filled with Aboriginal joy and optimism.
Shen says Andrew Purvis, curator at the Adelaide Central School of Art, shared his passion and excitement for the project, which will also forms a part of the 2025 Tarnanthi festival program.
“From our very first meeting I felt this spark of creative synergy,” Shen say. “I walked away knowing Andrew was the person I wanted to work alongside – someone who could help bring this vision to life.”
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The title of the exhibition references a card trick originally created in the 1930s and made famous by Bill Malone, known as ‘Sam the Bellhop’.
The complex card trick tells a story centred around a character named Sam, who owns a restaurant near the fictional 654 Club. Shen has adapted the performance into his own personal narrative, inspired by his cousin Nate, who has a passion for good food and coffee.
“I’ve rewritten the narrative of this old card trick using my cousin as my inspiration and then added in cultural nuances and Ngarrindjeri language,” explains Shen.
“For most of my practice, I’ve been drawn to the question of representation, especially the ways Aboriginal people have been looked at and defined through anthropology and ethnography.”
Growing up, Shen was captivated by magic shows he saw on TV, but in hindsight he realised he never saw First Nations people up on stage, or even in the audience.
“I thought I could do something fun here and just basically flip it on its head, creating space for an Aboriginal performer and an Aboriginal audience at the centre of the work.”
Shen spent a year mastering the sleight of hand and storytelling skills required to perform the trick in a single take on camera. He collaborated with award-winning Malaysian-Australian filmmaker Johanis Lyons-Reid to produce the centrepiece of the exhibition: a video in which he performs the trick alongside the narrative.
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The exhibition also includes a series of 52 hand-etched tintype photographs, a more familiar element to Shen’s practice that come together to form a complete custom deck of cards. Shen has also produced a limited-edition, professional quality deck of cards featuring his striking designs.
One of the audience members in Shen’s video piece is Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna Elder Major Sumner, known to most as Uncle Moogy. A prominent performer and cultural ambassador, Uncle Moogy can often be seen performing Welcome to Country ceremonies at major events. In this instance, however, Shen repositions him, not as the performer, but as part of the audience, witnessing and enjoying the magic with other family members.
“This exhibition is about taking ownership of representation and showing Aboriginal people in ways that aren’t usually expected,” says Shen.
“For me, it’s about capturing the joy of the moment, sharing something that blends culture and humour and putting forward an experience that feels special and alive. My hope is that by opening up this space, others can feel that joy too.”
In a world often filled with negativity the exhibition carries a positive message, one that Shen hopes will resonate with audiences as it taps into childhood memories.
“As an adult, it can be hard to return to that sense of wonder, where you can just love something for what it is without pulling it apart or overthinking it,” explains Shen.
It’s this simplicity and the innocence that Shen is trying to re-capture.
“I’ve tried to find my way back to that feeling of pure joy,” he reflects. “As a child, I believed in magic. I didn’t need to know what the secret was.
“I simply thought it was beautiful.”
Damien Shen: My Cuzzy Nate and the 654 Club opens at Adelaide Central School of Art from September 23 – October 31