Gordon Bennett 1l4v56

c m| Important times for Gordon Bennett: Repression as a child, past treatment of Aboriginals, and his time at Art College. M m| 3elf portrait Ȃ (Y ½ 150x260cm, oil on canvas, private collection ‘ | Contrast Ȃ DzI am light, I am dark.dz ‘ | Ñ ropeans are very distinct (all white½ ‘ | èe feels like heǯs been c t o t from that society/ history ‘ | Image of fighting between indigeno s and whites ‘ | I Am Ȃ appropriating and referencing èebrew 3cript res (God says ǮI am beca se I am.dz This also acts as a q estion Ȃ which one am I? ‘ | References the western idea of a cowboy ‘ | èe takes a western perspective (lines of perspective½ ‘ | èe canǯt see his own history thro gh an Aboriginal vision ‘ | ris al lang age Ȃ colo rs are black and white (contrast½, appropriating to Cowboys and Indians (takes an image from the past and p ts it in a new context thereby giving it a new meaning½. Used earthy colo rs; referencing Aboriginal paintings. ‘ | ·rom a western perspective, the Ǯgood g yǯ is always the white man (or the cowboy½. ‘ | ne key word at the centre of all his practice is T QUÑ3TI . èe q estions everything Ȃ art, A stralian history, and his own identity. ‘ | DzThey had the power to make s see and experience o rselves as other.dz Ȃ GB m| 3elf portrait 1992 synthetic polymer paint on canvas on pine frames, leather stock whip, paper tags (1-2½ 187x60x25cm (each½ (13½ (variable½ (installation½ ‘ | References something similar to a coffin Ȃ trying to deal with whether the Aboriginal c lt re has been p t to death or his death has been assigned by Western ideology (way of thinking abo t oppression½ ‘ | Abo t repression, someone is asserting power over him ‘ | Representation of blood Ȃ references Jackson Pollock and western painting (thro gh the blood splatter½ b t also history and how strong he feels for his Aboriginal heritage Ȃ the small amo nt shows he does not feel as p re Ȃ a meas re of his Aboriginality. ‘ | 3ignificance of total Ȃsaying he is one thing, inside and o t. The colo r of his skin does not determine his blood. ‘ | The symbol of the whip shows colonization of western ideology ‘ | nce again he is asking s to q estion ‘ | ´ark and confronting Ȃ nothing is easy, nothing can be br shed off m| Ë Ë Ë Y 174x304cm, acrylic on canvas, Collection AG 3W ‘ | Infl enced by Jackson Pollockǯs style Ȃ learnt techniq es of postmodernism at Art College (APRPRIATI ½ Ȃ a key fig re for this,

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a man who q estioned, was Jackson Pollock. Bennett appropriates this style and stands with Jackson Pollock. This is his vehicle for political protest. èe is trying to represent Aboriginal history Ȃ th s the dates are shown in the bl e sq ares (significant dates in history for them½ Instead of being Ñ rocentric, he looks at the Ǯwestern manǯ from a different angle. The man in the piece is an early pioneer/ settler. All dates relevant to Aboriginals in A stralia. Ñxamples; m| 1788 Ȃ colony established and flag raised m| 1804 Ȃ first massacre of Aborigines in Tasmania m| 1972 Ȃ Aboriginal Tent Ñmbassy set p in Canberra (also the same year that Go gh Whitlam p rchased Y s for A stralia Ȃ a painting by Jackson Pollock½ èe ses the dates so the a dience can piece a whole p zzle together with a new meaning

Î m| DzI decided that I was in a very interesting position. My mind and body had been effectively colonized by western c lt re, and yet my Aboriginality, which had been historically, socially and personally repressed, was still part of meǥ I decided that I wo ld attempt to create a space by adopting a strategy of intervention thro gh my art.dz