Pen and Ink – 2017
The Bombing of Darwin in 1942 by the Japanese was the single largest attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. Yet for decades it was barely commemorated and was almost written out of the narrative of Australian history.
The drawing uses the historical reality of the bombing to comment on Australia’s brittle sense of self. It questions the country’s relationship with its own past, its place in Asia, its subservience to other powers, and its deep-seated racism.
A central theme is that Australia is a nation still deeply uncomfortable with its own history and is prone to a collective amnesia when confronted with evidence that contradicts its preferred national myths.
The work is a companion piece to ‘The Lambton Wurm,’ as both use a historical event as a device to comment on contemporary politics.
Artwork Details
- Medium: Pen and Ink on Paper
- Dimensions: [Enter Dimensions Here, e.g., 200cm x 70cm]
- Year: 2017