I sang this song at the start of a talk I did a long way from my land, my country. The day before I decided to sing this song I listened and watched as Venezualian born artist Javier Tellez presented his work “Usted esta aqui”.2 He spoke with belief and intensity, describing this project which he had completed sometime prior to this talk.3
Tellez' work was located in a psychiatric hospital which was of particular interest to him. Following his submission of his work “La Colmena”4 for inclusion in the 50th Venice Biennial he chose to resign from this important artistic event “The Venezuelan pavilion today embodies a toxic environment”, the artist wrote in an open letter sent via E-Flux, “that would inevitably contaminate the reading of any work of art that deals with social inequality”. Tellez goes on to note the “corruption and struggle for power that are choking the country”, a crisis that extends to the cultural sector as well, which like so many parts of Venezuelan society is starved for resources. “When the vice-minister of culture suggests to the museums that they reduce their electrical consumption”, the artist writes, “I can't help reading this in a very symbolic way — without morals and light it is impossible to imagine cultural endeavors”.5
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Notes and References
“Bran Nue Day” is a musical play that was written by Jimmy Chi, a singer and composer from Broome. It premiered at the Festival of Perth in February 1990 and later that year toured Australia. The story is about the travels of an adolescent Aboriginal boy who is searching for his identity. Although it covers many serious issues, the musical became well-known for being entertaining and funny. It played an important role in helping non-Aboriginal Australians to understand something of the lives of many Aboriginal people
Javier Tellez “Usted esta aqui” (meaning ‘You are here’) 2002. Video installation. Colection Daros, Zurich
“The Multiple ‘Ethics’ of Contemporary Art Practice”, International Contemporary Art Experts Forum ARCO 03, 17th February, 2003
“La Colmena” (the beehive) was the work proposed by Javier Tellez for the 50th Venice Biennial
Open letter of resignation to Helen Erikson, 50th Venice Biennial, 3rd February, 2003, http://lists.c3.hu/pipermail/artinfo/2003-March/001469.html http://www.universes-in-universe.de/car/venezia/bien50/ven/e-tellez.html
Ibid
New South Wales Department of Corrective Services Strategic Framework for Working with Women Offenders in Custody, Leatrice Todd, Acting Director, Women's Unit, Department of Corrective Services, 2003
Ibid
Figures from research by Robynne Quiggin, “A Landscape of Risk” Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, UTS, 2003, and Rowena Lawrie, “Speak Out Speak Strong: Research into the Needs of Aboriginal Women in Custody”, Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee, 2003
Year Book Australia 2001, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Number 83, pp. 473–474
Reconciliation dialogue has become an integral part of the Australian landscape and history, as well as a global discussion which has impacted on Australia's diplomatic relationships
For example, “A.C.T.U. — Indigenous Business is Union Business — Opening Statement 2000”.The Australian union movement faces perhaps its most challenging time and as such we have many competing priorities and demands. Notwithstanding this we acknowledge that the destiny of the Australian union movement is entwined with the destiny of Australia's Indigenous peoples. The fact the Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain at the bottom level of every economic and social indicator is unacceptable. We are clear that there is much work to be done and that the Australian Trade Union Movement must play a leading role in transforming the situation for our Indigenous peoples”
For example the killing of a young Aboriginal boy in Redfern, New South Wales, Australia, recently which resulted in an explosion of anger from the Aboriginal communities in the area who had enough of being “over policed”. As a consequence of this riot many Aboriginal people were imprisoned for a period of time. Some of these were the young boys' relatives who, as a result of this imprisonment, were unable to attend the funeral. Other Aboriginal people who were imprisoned, were released some time later with no charges proved
Foucault, Michel, “Displine and Punish — The Birth of the Prison”, translated by Alan Íheridan (ed.), Penguin Books, London, 1977
Land Rights was ongoing as a result of the Guringi people's presentation of a bark painting land rights claim to the then Labour Government in 1973. A continuation of Land Rights debate and Legislation is the introduction of the Mabo Legislation by the then Prime Minister Paul Keating in 1991 which was undermined by the Liberal Governments Wik Legislation further on
The Protection Policies as they applied to different States related to Governmental control of Aboriginal people including control of living locations, ownership of children, control of monies, inheritances and so on
The Stolen Generations is the term used to refer to those Aboriginal people taken from their families and communities as a result of the applications of various forms of Protection
Koorie is the word Aboriginal people use to describe those Indigenous Australians who live in the Eastern part of Australia from Tasmania almost to the border of Queensland
Davies, Paul, “The Edge of Infinity — Beyond the Black Hole”, Penguin Books, London, New York, Sydney, 1981
From Feminist book fair and writers festival documentary, Produced by Tony Levere, Flaming Stars, produced with the assistance of the Australian Film Commission 1994, and shown on Suzy Baldwin on Sunday ABC2 16.3.97
Bundjalung country is located in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, Australia
Croft, Brenda, Blak Like Me, Art and Australia, 31(1), Spring, 1993
Stephens, Ann, Hetti Perkins, Mitchell Avenel, “Repatriation, Race Representation — A Conversation”, Photophile 40, November 1993, p. 12+
Johnston, Pamela and Ginibi, Ruby Langford, A Journey Into Bundjalung Country, New South Wales Ministry for the Arts, Australia, July 1991
A Journey Into Bundjalung Country, Lismore Regional Gallery, New South Wales, Australia, July 1991
Ginibi, Ruby Langford, My Bundjalung People, Queensland University Press, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia, 1994, pp. 206–208
Norris, Chirstopher, “Deconstruction, Post-Modernism and Visual Arts” from What Is Deconstruction by Christopher Norris and Andrew Benjamin (eds.), Academy Editions/St Martins Press, 1988, p. 7
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Johnston, P. (2009). Where You End and I Begin – The Multiple Ethics of Contemporary Art Practice. In: Van den Braembussche, A., Kimmerle, H., Note, N. (eds) Intercultural Aesthetics. Einstein Meets Margritte: An Interdisciplinary Reflection on Science, Nature, Art, Human Action and Society, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5780-9_12
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