Events

In the twenty-first century artists have turned to archives to rewrite Australian history. Christian Thompson is one of a number of artists who have drawn on collections of photographs in particular to reimagine the way in which the European settlers of the nineteenth century saw Aboriginal people. Through this, they haunt the contemporary art world with images of the Australian past, images that speak back to constructions of nation and identity. The practice has not been without controversy. Brook Andrew has been criticised for his use of archival photographs, while the politics around identity has transformed the context within which archives are accessed and used. Dr Darren Jorgensen, Senior Lecturer in Art History at the University of Western Australia will trace these changes and contexts in order to situate Thompson within twenty-first century Australian art.