They’re a bunch of trouble makers!

“They’re a bunch of troublemakers” was the phrase used by the father of the artist Jennifer Herd, warning her about joining the Aboriginal Arts Collective, ProppaNOW.

Other artists present at the exhibition laughed in ageeement.

One of them, Richard Bell, is a strong character whose powerful and politically charged artwork has garnered a lot attention over the years. I wrote a blog post about a film documenting his life story on my blog a couple of years ago. It’s worth checking out. https://jamesobrien.id.au/2023/02/doco/

Another artist participating in the panel discussion was Tony Albert, perhaps best known for his work in Hyde Park, Sydney.

Given that Anzac Day was the day before, talking about his work seemed appropriate, especially in light of what happened with the interruption to the Welcome to Country in Melbourne, when the ANZAC Dawn Service there was interrupted by right-wing protestors.

Listening to commercial radio, you would think it was far worse to have a Welcome to Country than it was to have people shout out and disrupt the dawn service.

Tony’s work in Hyde Park powerfully addresses war, directly acknowledging the significant contributions of Aboriginal diggers who have served Australia for many years. https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/monuments-and-memorials/yininmadyemi-thou-didst-let-fall

Tony shared his grandfather’s experience as a prisoner of war in Europe and recounted how some Aboriginal soldiers who served overseas during the Boer War faced difficulties returning to Australia – a little-known and truly compelling story – because of the White Australia Policy.

All three artists were part of a panel discussing the “Occurrent Affair” exhibition, which has been touring galleries around Australia, showcasing numerous politically charged works.

Tony Albert noted that Lismore Regional Gallery was initially intended to be the exhibition’s first venue, except a few things “got in the way,” referring to the catastrophic Lismore flood of 2022. While it has since been displayed at other galleries, this showing is planned to be its last.

Attending this exhibition talk was a really interesting way to get to know more about its context and to hear from some of the artists. It was wonderful that the talk was facilitated by Rhoda Roberts, a nationally known Indigenous writer, broadcaster, and artist who comes from Lismore and, after many years in Sydney, is now living back home.