Artist:

Vicki West

These works scrutinise the 1967 Referendum and its impact on Tasmanian Aborigines, and the ongoing struggle between traditional culture and the effects of colonisation.

For Tasmanian Aboriginal people the outcome of the referendum tore away the veil of deceit that was the ‘myth of extinction’ and brought to light the survival of our island’s first people. The denial of our existence and vile restraints of the ‘half-caste’ act fell away as all Aboriginal Australians stepped within the gaze of the Commonwealth and were seen for the first time in nearly 90 years.

Kerliggener-leewunna is in response to the dress my great-grandmother wore on her wedding day, which holds special meaning due to her role as the matriarch of the family. She was born in 1883 in a time when the government denied Tasmanian Aboriginal people’s existence. Significantly she was wearing a black dress in her wedding photo, worn as a sign of mourning for the death of Queen Victoria. However, I am re-imagining this also as a sign of mourning for the loss of my people’s Country, and the impacts of colonial invasion on our culture.

In my name is made from dodder vine, a Tasmanian native which is often seen as a pest in its own environment, used in my work to reference colonial attitudes towards Tasmanian Aboriginal people. This work explores issues including home and homelessness, connections to place, and reclaiming culture and language.

Photo: Andrew Green

Vicki West (trawlwoolway people)
What I say 2017
Courtesy of the artist and Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne

Search for works by this artist in the national collection.

Vicki West (trawlwoolway people)