Acknowledgment and celebration

Acknowledgment and celebration
2026
Acrylic on canvas
50 x 70cm

The purpose of reconciliation week is for the Indigenous and
non Indigenous Australians to come together as a community
and work towards reconciliation. For some reason I feel like
that’s not what actually happens during this celebratory week.
When I look into comment sections on social media all I see
is complaining, unapologetic racism, and negativity. Why is it
that there is so many awful things to be said about a joyous
occasion. Simply put it’s because of ignorance and a lack of
acknowledgment. In order to celebrate, it’s important to
recognise that this divide is exactly why we need this day. If
we as a majority truly reconcile, racists will be outnumbered
and we can finally shut them down. Bystanders to racism is
becoming more and more regular, and the reason these racists
run rampant behind their screens is because they think it’s
acceptable in society. And it absolutely is not. We need to
proudly celebrate each other, and build strong beautiful bonds
so we can shut down negativity.