Representing the Invisible

Curated by Unimelb, 2015

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Australian history, prepare to be shocked and disturbed; this tour is purposefully designed to expose patrons to the darker aspects of Australian history, namely: settler colonialism, and the implications it had for the lives of indigenous Australians, as well as other minority groups both in the past, and present.

It is often convenient for us to forget that this nation was founded on an active dispossession of Aboriginal land and the disavowal of indigenous peoples and their history. Throughout this tour, patrons will not only be reminded of some of the heinous crimes that took place in the formative years of our nations history, but they will also have considerable time to reflect on the various ways these crimes impacted the lives of indigenous people.

Rest assured however, this tour is not all doom and gloom; and it is not my intention to leave you feeling guilt ridden and helpless over our nations past; rather, I wish to provide insight into how contemporary street artists have used this form of postmodern art to represent and reassert the identity and presence of a disenfranchised and disaffected group on this land, by challenging the oppression of first nations people which has persisted over centuries.

Stop 1.

Following federation in 1901, active measures were taken to ensure as much as possible, the removal of non-white people from the continent in order to preserve the racial purity of what exceedingly became a ‘white-nation’. These measures materialized…

Stop 2.

This paste up of the Australian continent with the word ‘Welcome’ in its center is the interest of our next stop. The belief that Australia is a culturally diverse, tolerant, and equitable society, founded on the core ideals and principles of…

Stop 3.

This mural is the work of Adnate, a member of the collective AWOL. It shares stark similarities with his previous work insofar as it embodies the same theme and raises awareness of the same issues: those related to the representation of aboriginal…

Stop 4.

I found it interesting that this mural is situated within close proximity of the aboriginal boy mural in Fitzroy simply because together, they represent identities which are completely antithetical to one another. These two murals, in my opinion, fit…

Stop 5.

The adverse effects of settler colonialism in the Australian context on the lives of the indigenous Australian population, as well as ethnic minorities, were severe and long lasting. As this mural suggests, native Australians suffered from violent…