Confronting amnesia: Aboriginality and public space

Abstract

For much of their history since 1788, non‐Indigenous Australians have virtually erased from their public art practice any reference to a conflictual history of occupation. Yet since the bicentennial of settler occupation of Australia in 1988, artists, reconciliation groups and government authorities, amongst others, have sought to address intercultural issues in the public domain, by reference to historical contexts and contemporary aspirations. After providing a brief overview of recent cultural politics in Australia, this paper examines three prominent public art projects that address themes of occupation and reconciliation. All three works, whilst radically different in purpose, address issues that might be seen as constitutive of contemporary Australian cultural debates. It is argued that together they mark a shift in Australian public art practice even though individually they proclaim starkly different geneses and purposes.

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