Australian Identity

Through the use of poetic devices, the author has successfully encouraged the audience to explore their thoughts on Australian identity and to reflect on our nation’s history.

The identity of Australia as a place comes from both its physical features and the atmosphere, which is often created by its physical appearance. Three artists who have depicted the Australian landscape in different styles are Arthur Streeton, John Olsen and Sally Morgan. Streeton’s works are in a realistic but lively style typical of the Heidelberg school. He was intent on recreating the light and warmth of the land. Olsen and Morgan’s works, on the other hand, offer more abstract interpretations of the land. During the 1960s and 1970s, Olsen captured the essence and the energy of the landscape with his bold and bright brushwork whilst Morgan’s work from the 1980s portrays Australia from an indigenous perspective, which she achieves through her use of Aboriginal symbolism and cultural imagery.

Australia has never had a definable national identity prescribed by institutions or politicians; rather, most of the identities are tied to folklores and models (Hogue 2005). For over 150 years during colonization, Australia was widely identified as a British nation. Additionally, the Australian residents did not have valid citizenship until 1948. Before that period, all people born within the country were regarded as British citizens and were expected to uphold their values. At one time, authors described the residents as anonymous, nothing-men, and featureless. However, Australia had always had underlying national identities

Australia’s Aboriginal Peoples form the longest living culture in the world, they have experienced massive conflicts and suffered many losses. Tjukurpa Kunpa, means ‘Strong Law & Culture,’ and forms part of a collection of paintings that concentrate on political and cultural issues that have resulted from colonisation. The painting outlines the shape of Australia and is decorated with symbols and writings that hold significant meaning to Aboriginal cultures.

In “Untitled (dismay, displace disperse…)” six 30x30cm oil paintings individually detail a certain negative aspect of colonialism in a chronological fashion. “DISMAY” shows how the Aboriginal people are disregarded as human beings, the second image “DISPLACE” while accompanied by an image of British settlers setting down a flag comments on the British taking control, “DISPERSE” comments on how Indigenous people were moved out of their homes to make way from British development, “DISPIRIT” comments on how the continuation of settlement and lack of support for Aborigines left them to give up and lose motivation, “DISPLAY” comments on how Indigenous people were treated as animals and some were sold for entertainment purposes and finally “DISMISS” accompanied with a black image concludes this work by commenting on how British people have achieved their goal of settlement and as a result has had a detrimental impact on the well-being and culture of the Indigenous people. In “Possession Island” Bennett appropriates Samuel Calvert’s “Captain Cook taking possession of the Australian continent on behalf of the British Crown AD 1770” and comments on the chaos of colonialism and disregard for Indigenous people. He layers the painting with slashes and dots of red and yellow paint but leaves a central black skinned figure

Australia’s national and cultural icons range from natural landmarks to man-made wonders. They are instantly recognisable, have special significance and are uniquely Australian. (1) Two Australian artist’s that created cultural iconic images through their artworks, were Sydney Nolan and Russell Drysdale. During the 1940s cultural, social changes and the Second World War influenced them to depict issues in their works. Both artists were affected by the war, had an interest in the bush, its people and the harsh drought at the time. This encouraged them to reflect on national themes which they personally could associate and identify with. Their

However, I did not experience this struggle for national identity. It seemed that many Australians have a very strong sense of national identity and national pride. In fact, many view themselves as separate from neighboring Asia and separate from ancestral Europe. Many felt a strong connection to the land, excited by the dangerous and seemingly untouched terrain. Overall, National identity did not appear to be a problem for any Australians during my visit.

Students will create a juxtaposed artwork representing the past of Aboriginal culture and the future according to Paul Keating’s speech. The material used will be ones from the nature such as sticks and leaves to create a depiction of Aboriginal history. The artwork will tell two stories one being the discrimination against Aboriginals and the other being a better future for them. Using earthy colours, natural materials and techniques used by Aboriginals student will create a beautiful artwork explain the Indigenous Australians past and future. • Drama activity-

The poem I Was the Son of an Englishman by Komninos from the contemporary era actively and effectively portrays the changing nature of Australian culture and society, as it illustrates the diversity in the new Australian identity. After the Second World War, Australia changed in many ways and the new settlers began to make significant contributions to the Australian culture and identity. Poets from the contemporary era began to reflect modern Australia, as the rise of multiculturalism started to contribute to our new ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs about Australian identity. Komninos’ language can be seen in stanza three where it says “if I was the son of an Englishman, i’d really be true blue...i could desecrate the countryside, and destroy

As curator I wish to recommend the inclusion of artworks by Danie Mellor and Cia Guo-Qiang for the upcoming exhibition “Utopian Australia – the Lucky Country?”.

Within the visuals associated with Smith’s article lots of different people of all different races, dressed in Australian colours are collaged together to form the shape of Australia. This adds to the appeal to patriotism as it shows that all Australian’s no matter their race, gender, age, social status etc. have a right to celebrate on Australia Day in their own ways. This coincides with Smith’s contention being that Australia has such a diverse and multi-cultural background that everyone has the right to enjoy Australia Day. Such technique positions the reader to feel proud of the “unity” and togetherness their country has in celebrating Australia Day.

The Kelly’s have been presented through popular media, books, and movies as a group targeted and harassed by the corrupt police of New South Wales, this persecution brings out our Australian temperament of a fair go. It can also be noted the generally Kelly is not a symbol of a rebel, rather as a symbol of a man of the

Australia in the late 20th century, was an important period when intelligentsia were seeking to define its nation and its national identity. One powerful communicator was in the writings and articles published in popular newspapers, which offered differing ideas and approaches on this subject. In this essay I aim to analyse two documents in the form of ballads that were published in this period, and to describe how they played a part in constructing an image that could be used to define the nation and create a national identity; in their historical, social, economic and political context.

Many Australians pride themselves on our quirky animals or the unusual aspects of our culture, or even our country’s relatively stable financial situation compared to most other countries. However, many Australians fail to see how Australia is sacrificing this natural beauty, internationally recognisable icons and unique culture, all for the sake and profits of development. These images reflect on the vulnerability of Australia’s culture, icons and healthy ecosystems and challenge the tourism/‘perfect Australia’ stereotype that makes Australia seem ecologically, economically and socially stable. Three aesthetic features that demonstrate this are colour, positioning and symbols. The need for a national shift in economical power and an intuitive

Contemporary Indigenous Art in Australia is a fundamental core into the exploration into contemporary visual culture, and that of historical reflection and tradition. Art and decoration acts as an integral part of the traditional indigenous lifestyle1, such tradition repressed through the centuries of destructive oppression, that continued through to the late 20th century, reinforced by an education system and society dominated by a history built on the belief in Australia as terra nullius. Such narratives and visual representations of history present the colonisers as powerful figures of exploration, and colonisation- the bearers of learning and civilisation in a land of ‘primitive’, failing to acknowledge the sovereign rights of Australia’s Indigenous people.