 STATION 1: JULIE DOWLING
Exhibition: 'Stations of the Cross', Westley Church, Perth, March 2015 Murlabaya – Becoming Dead (Is Condemned to Die)* 2015 131 x 75.5cm Acrylic, red ochre, mica gold and plastic on canvas by Julie Dowling, Badimaya Nation Artist Statement: "I wanted to paint an image related directly to the viewer about those who are wholly innocent and fall in-between the cracks of the justice system in WA. I also reflect on deaths in custody for First Nation people in this country. I believe there are alternatives to the incarceration system as it is today. I think prisons are instruments of torture and punish those living in poverty. Most first nation inmates have criminal records because they cannot get jobs and pay fines. . Many inmates are mentally ill from being systematically abused. Many have suffered inter-generational trauma believing that the only stability they have in life is found within prison walls. It is tragedy that social pressures to conform to the dominant culture in Australia cause my people to be targeted by systemic discrimination and racism. This relationship between the first nations people and the arms of the state have a long history going back to colonial invasion. It is ignored that many of my people do not even the English language and it is not their first language. Many First Nation Peoples in this country who are convicted because they say “yes” to accusations when asked about a crime without fully knowing what is happening to them. The criminal injustice system continues without showing any duty of care or fairness. Many of my people have daily fears of bashed by police or when they are incarcerated by the guards who are paid to look after them. Many of my people have been in and out of ‘the system’ since they were young children. A large number started out as foster children with little or no connection to their cultural identity believing that they might find their kin ‘inside’. My community is fully aware of disturbing realities where children as young as nine or ten years old are being housed in juvenile detention or moved without consent to adult prisons in Western Australia without the consultation of their parents, families or communities. It is little wonder that this cycle of despair leaves far too many first nations peoples in this country to take their own lives. Depression or other mental illness receives little or no adequate treatment in correctional facilities. In this country, first nation peoples make up thirty percent of the prison population and yet we are but three percent of the generation population. Between the years 2000 and 2010, the rate of first nation women has increased by sixty percent making up 58.6 percent of all women in prison. Our children currently make up 48 percent of all juveniles in custody beginning their lives behind bars rather than learning and growing within the arms of families. The Barnett Government now threatens to close nearly 150 remote Aboriginal communities in this state. Ironically there are plans to build more prisons. In this painting I have shown there to be figures around the Wiru(spirit circle). Around the figure’s head, are the belly marks of goanna as well as multiple sets of hands symbolising his spirit reaching out for help. The figure’s fingers do not touch each other so help is beyond the subjects grasp. There are symbols of bush fires, camp sites, jardi (goanna’s), emu’s. All are symbols of fast motion. The symbol of everlasting flowers is the only symbol for stillness. At the base of the painting is representing the garden of Gethsemane as well as the spirit trees found in the south west of WA known as Nyining (in Noongar language). A Nyining becomes spiritual significant as it grows and more so if it’s lived longer than a human life." Julie Dowling 2015 Represented by: Harvison Gallery Image Credit: Don Dowling (no direct relation) * Ref. Badimaya Dictionary: An Aboriginal Language of Western Australia, Bundiyana – Irra Wangga Language Centre, Geraldton 2014 * Incarceration Statistics found at http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/law/aboriginal-prison-rates
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A new series of Icon's to a Stolen Child are at Harvison Gallery in Perth. Check out the link here for more details;   'First Contact' misrepresentation of fair skinned mob as if a cup of tea…the add milk and it's still tea analogy;
I think being compared to a cup of tea comes from that tv show ‘First Contact’ and it isn’t telling the half of it. I think it was such a passive show in general which didn’t hit wudjulahs hard enough about why we ARE fair looking in the majority of cases. The reason I’m fair looking is from forced assimilation and rapes over 4 generations on a single line of women right to me. I’m a product of the ‘breeding them out’ program and not a weak cuppa tea. You can still interpret that into that analogy and I’ve had that thrown back in my face after confronting someone thinking it was a good analogy to try out in order to defend my life or the ‘appearance’ of it to a poxy racist. I’m a litmus test and a secret spy to those I love, THAT’s all. I sure hope the young woman who originally said that on ‘First Contact’ mentioned the rapes and forced relations with white men only ONCE to those gathered off camera because it sure wasn’t mentioned on film. The truth is that I loved my white grandfather but he met my grandmother while she was in an assimilation house set up by the Catholic Church who had to assimilate fair mob by racist laws back in the 1940’s. It’s a miracle that they did love each other and he had to defend his kids from having them taken by force by authorities along side my Badimaya great grandmother WITH SHOTGUNS IN THEIR HANDS. My white Irish Pavee grandfather passed away when I was 6 years old. I think racism kills everyone because it’s emotional abuse of kids. I’m not different or diverse as a fair skinned mob in itself. I’m accepted by my own mob for who I am as Badimaya woman. Those that aren’t accepted are in the extreme minority. It’s only in the wudjulah (white) majority that I do get being fair skinned First Nation as being unacceptable with all the stereotypes flying thick and fast about fair mob exploiting THEM somehow. It’s a racism from them that says that my own mob accept fair mob because we somehow DO exploit with the darker mob’s tick of approval to get back at them for having so much power!? It’s complex form of racism on the surface but it’s still racism because the wudjulah’s (non-First Nation people) forget completely about culture and about what love of family is. Those that DO exploit their culture and family for more money in the majority white population are few & far between. They usually end up with HUGE jobs in wudjulah ‘government’ or in the ‘system’ to oppress their own mob (coercive tutors). These kinds of fair skinned mob get cut off from their family with only a narrow avenue to return through because they’ve chosen a path to be Jackie-jackies and coconuts (translated as Uncle Tom’s in Turtle Island). I made this picture using computer graphics. Does this fair skinned young woman look weak or passive about who she is or how she got here? I don’t think so.  On Communism; If you're a survivalist with communism you can't be a relationalist living in Badimaya because they don't fit together. You don't follow Badimaya lore so you aren't Badimaya and that's my point. You can't walk into the last minute of a yarn and say you know the whole story....because you'd be 99% a liar. That's relationalism...that's a totally different philosophy of life...it's not communism. Thanks for reading this! If you're trying to fit them both together for you're own First Nation then I wouldn't want to be ya! It's too hard to fit together for me. I think you'll find the same outcome to the equation. Survive using communism for 'survival' ....OR do you relate to your own kin....to just live right ....with the land... so that you don't hurt the chances to do that same...for your great grandchildren. |
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