News location:

Friday, November 15, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Holding the mirror up to racism

“CITYNEWS” recently paid a visit to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House for an event associated with its latest exhibition, “Insurgence,” which  features the work of Vernon Ah Kee, Gordon Hookey, Jennifer Herd, Laurie Nilsen, Megan Cope, Tony Albert and Richard Bell from the ‘proppaNOW’ collective, and of former proppaNOW member Andrea Fisher.

Richard Bell's work, far left,  ‘We Own This’, 2012. Acrylic on canvas
Richard Bell’s work, far left, ‘We Own This’, 2012. Acrylic on canvas, photo Rob Little
It was as well that MOAD director Daryl Karp reminded us that the museum “builds on the long tradition of exploring difficult and important issues in Old Parliament House,” as things got pretty lively in the debate of the afternoon.

The exhibition is the final part in the museum’s Centenary program called “Art of Influence.”

“Insurgence” is a new exhibition of works by members of Brisbane collective ‘proppaNOW’, but the specific occasion was a symposium for which MOAD had gathered together some of the finest contemporary revolutionary minds in Aboriginal Australia and they weren’t about to let any of us go home for a good night’s sleep.

Chaired by Margo Neale, the National Museum’s seasoned Indigenous curatorial fellow, the symposium, “Art and Politics,” saw Richard Bell, Gordon Hookey, Vernon Ah Kee and Jennifer Herd, joined by Canberra textile and glass artist, Lyndy Delian, taking on the biggest issues for our nation.

Preceding the discussion was the screening of the film, “The Dinner Party”.

It will surprise nobody familiar with artist Richard Bell’s work to learn that, for a white Australian watching, it was like having a bucket of cold water tipped over you. The film was holding the mirror up to the very middle-class people who imagine they/we have surmounted the shackles of racism.

Explained simply, the film is set in a future where China has bought Australia and decides, on the strength of an old agreement, to give it back to its original inhabitants.

Activist Gary Foley plays “the first Aboriginal president of the People’s Republic of Australia,” exulting from the podium while quoting from figures like Malcolm X (Foley wrote most of his own lines).

While a rollicking barbecue is enjoyed outside by Aboriginal Australians, inside, a group of elite Australians consider their likely future status as they sip white wine from long stemmed glasses. It’s not long before their fears and prejudices come to the surface, especially when they discover that one of their numbers, a beautiful girl, is a light-skinned Aboriginal Australian. “You’re too pretty to be Aboriginal,” says one of the guests. “Genocide? A couple of people got killed,” opines another.

Symposium guests view "The Dinner Party".
Symposium guests view “The Dinner Party”.
At another level altogether a pair of “nutty puppets” analyse the developing situation.

With little time for the predominantly white audience at the symposium to squirm, a lively discussion ensued.

Neale diplomatically steered her way through the introductions with a touch of humour too. While Bell was delineating the ideas behind the film, Vernon Ah Kee elaborated on his view that if you scratch an Aussie you’ll find a racist, arguing that Australia was the most colour-based racist country in the world and that Indigenous Australians had to go overseas to gain respect.

He pointed to the hypocrisy evident at the dinner table – “these people all think they are good people…but they commit bad deeds.. this is not a good country.”

Ah Kee is also a wry humorist, recently inventing a new word called “Austracism” which presently appears on the exterior windows of old Parliament House along with a quotation from “Julius Caesar”.

While the panellists agreed that Aboriginal Australians shared an ability to laugh at themselves, it became clear by the end of the discussion that the question under discussion was no laughing matter.

Vernon Ah Kee inside  Old Parliament House windows inscribed with the word "Austracism"
Vernon Ah Kee inside Old Parliament House windows inscribed with the word “Austracism”,
Photo Rob Little
The film had delivered a bucket of cold water, but the exhibition inside MOAD’s main gallery spaces goes even further in exploring the history of mistreatment, ostracism, cruelty and bad faith to which our original habitants have been subjected.

I must say that while it was riveting and stimulating, I found both the exhibition and the symposium very disturbing for, like many others, I had convinced myself that many of the issues raised by Bell, Ah Kee, Hookey and the members of proppaNOW, were well on the way to being solved.

That’s not what the artists are saying.

“Insurgence,” at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, until March 11, 2014, open daily 9am–5pm (closed Christmas Day). MOAD warns some artworks contain explicit images, language and ideas that may offend some viewers.

Ellie Gilbert, wife of the late artist and Aboriginal activist Kevin Gilbert, will give a talk in the House of Representatives Chamber, 12.30 Saturday, November 16, all welcome.

l. Margo Neale, centre Vernon Ah Kee, r. Richard Bell, photo Rob Little
l. Margo Neale, centre Vernon Ah Kee, r. Richard Bell, photo Rob Little

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Helen Musa

Helen Musa

Share this

9 Responses to Holding the mirror up to racism

flyingtigercomics says: 9 February 2014 at 9:11 am

This anti-white racism and marxist crap is a DISGRACE. The people responsible – and I use both “people” and “responsible” generously- need to be sacked and excluded from any other public role for the rest of their lives. The Federal government- of which Canberra is the creature- should extirpate this at once.

As usual, the contempt the normal population feels for this nonsense allows it to fester and breed unchecked. No more.

Reply
Ian says: 9 February 2014 at 9:17 am

So apparently Old Parliament House, which belongs to all Australians, is now nothing more than a billboard for tax payer funded left wing activism. Surprised they didn’t use spray paint.

Reply
Kev from Canberra says: 9 February 2014 at 9:17 am

Disgusting. ‘Austracism’? Splashed across Old Parliament House? Who the hell are you people???? Keep this DIVISIVE self-loathing out of our beloved institutions and put it back in an inner-city art house where this sort of fringe tripe should be served.

Helen Musa as you say – “the predominantly white audience?”…hmmmm, perhaps that ‘mirror’ needs to be turned around 180 degrees?

Here’s another gem: “While the panellists agreed that Aboriginal Australians shared an ability to laugh at themselves…” – so some white arty-farty types got in a room together, watched a hate vid, sipped some Chardy and decided that Aborigines have a sense of humour. Hmm, where is that damn mirror?

Beware of this stuff kids – there will always be some racist, ignorant a-holes wherever you go. It doesn’t mean YOU are racist. Don’t listen to the left-wing arts community when it tells you your country is something to be deeply ashamed of. They are simply PROJECTING their bitter, bleak outlook on life in general onto others. We are a wonderful, inclusive, friendly and hardy people we Aussies – that is why so many immigrants come here every year to share in our culture of friendly freedom.

This sort of tripe makes my blood boil. It’s so easy to scream ‘Racist!’ when you are the ones holding the so-called ‘mirror’. I can’t help but feel that you people don’t really understand our country. It makes it easy for you to find ‘inspiration’ within your oyster shell by believing the worst about the great unwashed out there living their day-to-day lives. Newsflash: it’s time to turn off the hate and division in general.

BTW, how much did these ‘artists’ get paid from the public purse to sully a public building and insult a Nation?

Reply
Nihonin says: 9 February 2014 at 1:58 pm

‘I must say that while it was riveting and stimulating, I found both the exhibition and the symposium very disturbing for, like many others, I had convinced myself that many of the issues raised by Bell, Ah Kee, Hookey and the members of proppaNOW, were well on the way to being solved.

That’s not what the artists are saying.’

The artists seem to be making a decent living from Racism, as long as they can keep the wheel the spinning, they’ll be right, thank you very much.

Reply
Sven says: 9 February 2014 at 1:59 pm

I too had convinced myself that many of these issues were well on the way to being solved, but seeing some actors make racist comments in a fictional film has shown me just how wrong I was. This is not a good country.

Reply
roger the dodger says: 10 February 2014 at 2:24 pm

Gob-smacked. I’m all for art – and edgy stuff at that – but when peddling outright lies it is not on. This could be an excuse, as a post above rightly points out, to keep a racist artist in a job. This confirms my suspicion that racism is truly only for white people. And no….I couldn’t give a toss for skin colour.

Reply
Dadius says: 12 February 2014 at 4:00 pm

What a disgrace, these professional victims are terrified that racism is fading amongst whites whilst it is perpetuated amongst extremist blacks.. This is all about the gravy train, ‘Keep em’ guilty and they’ll even pay us for garbage like this.’. How any of this helps a desperate kid in a camp in the outback is beyond me.
But like drowning refugees, it does not matter as long as it gives the professional moralists a job.

Reply

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews