Beyond White Guilt

I have been slowly reading Sarah Maddison's fabulous book Beyond White Guilt. The reason I am reading it so slowly is because I have to keep stopping to underline nearly every second paragraph.
It is the book I would have written if I was a writer, or more accurately, it is my thoughts put down perfectly into words. I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn't read it.
Some of what I have underlined tonight.
'Those taking offence at a more critical view of Australia's colonial past seem determined to 'smudge history into the sand', through a series of denials that, paradoxically, have also continued to feed the 'fundamental guilt that lies like a shadow over the European psyche', a guilt that 'will not be shifted until the colonial project is completed or abandoned'. (Sarah Maddison quoting Julie Marcus)
I recently said to someone that I think this issue is THE issue in Australia that underlies all other issues and am often frustrated by my countrymen and women not taking it up. She said to me that everyone thinks their issue is THE issue. I can see that she is right however I do think that history will prove me correct as it does when looking back on the holocaust.
I had coffee today with Maxine Briggs at the State Library and was horrified to learn that 30 years after the initial research I did at the library for the Koorie Mural she holds the only identified Aboriginal position in that huge colonial institution. It was wonderful to hear from her that she thinks my project is timely and very important. She said, and I quote, 'Someone needs to break the ice'.
Still sitting up late embroidering a new piece for my music stool. A horrific image taken from a colonial postcard from the 1800's, a staged photograph of a white man violently holding down a black man with gun in hand.
Think it must have been a propaganda postcard sent back to the mother country to let people know that it was safe to come down under.

Dis-eased - Digital print on rag, eucalyptus leaves, pins, 2014

Pictures of an Exhibition

       

                                                       

                          

                          

The blank stare before an exhibition!

   

Reflection.

The last minute things are always the most fiddly. I have been doing a lot of engraving on mirrors as reflection seems to be a what I am engaged in. The leaves on the mirrors are a way to get other people to see themselves as a part of this work. When they see themselves in the mirrors their view is obstructed. The last three mirrors are text based. I wanted to write the words Witness and Whiteness as white people don't usually recognise their whiteness, ie their privilege. Interestingly the most expensive mirror I have bought came from the UK and is silver with a tortoise shell back. (I didn't know it has a tortoise shell back until it arrived) It was the mirror of privilege and I was planning to write Whiteness on it, having already done Witness on the other one (see previous blog) Anyway I messed up the text. It turns out that although I have become quite accomplished in engraving images, text is another thing altogether. Luckily for me my friend Will Francis the master jeweller took out the mirror and replaced it for me and added a beautiful silver attachment at the end of the handle so I can hang it. Of course this was perfect as I had already engraved another mirror with Whiteness so the text on this expensive and beautiful mirror had to be Privilege of course. It will hang upside down so I am hoping people will pick it up and look into it, reading privilege on their own faces.
The chair is finished too, just have to have a few more antique nails put in.
I am now looking forward to this show after being a bit of a princess for a while, feeling that 'it really should be in a more important place'. I think I was just reacting to my resistance to being seen as a community artist. A label I have always rejected. Politically I love the Footscray Community Art Centre! Its a perfect place to show this work.

An Australian colonial tapestry (The Hentys)

Needlepoint and antique chair

Nature Morte

Engraving on Mirror

Witness Whiteness - Changes to the Racial Discrimination Act in Australia

Australia is full of discussion in the media about the decision of the Attorney General to make sweeping changes to the racial discrimination act. Such a shameful proposition to have such a high profile person in our government saying that Australians have a right to be bigoted. There is so much to say about this but again I am shamed as a white person. I gave a talk about my project a while ago and a young man asked a question at the end. It was, "how do you be a good white person?" I didn't have an answer.

My exhibition opens next week and I look forward to feedback from both black and white Australians on the work. 

Exhibition of work from KELOID project

The Vacant Seat

Isabella's chair and Patrick's chair are the empty seats I am asking myself to imagine sitting in. They are chairs from the early 1800's from Melbourne, probably made by early colonists. I am attempting to place myself in the picture of early history in order to confront the shame that I believe lies hidden, 'sat on' so to speak, and affecting the way I relate to myself and my country. I have been dealing with the easy generalisations about 'our past', not 'my past' and now is the time to sit down and look at myself.
After my exhibition I am going on a road trip to find the place my great Grandfather occupied in Northern NSW. I would like to find whose land he took and what has become of the traditional owners. I am going to take these seats and sit down in this country in an attempt to try to reconcile with the occupier in myself.

Isabella's Chair

Patricks Chair