Southern Cross

Southern Cross
2024
acrylic on canvas
45 x 35cm
While thinking of the history, foundations, and identity of Australia I’m always left with a distaste. A nation built off the bloodshed of First Nations People, where stolen land and dispossession is celebrated, and where we as Black People are amongst the most incarcerated People in the world. You’ve only got to walk through your town or city to be reminded of this, memorialized by street names, statues, and sculptures. You might even happen to stop on your way and stumble upon a social media comment section where there’s no hiding from the racist opinions of Australia.
The southern cross seen in the sky references the Australian flag with the stories of bloodshed flowing through the country below. The stone piece with a Nulla Nulla center rising from the earth is there as a memorial for the First Nations history from across the country, and the stories of continued resistance.