The original school text book is alarming in its bland British Christian superiority. The existing text would be enough to make anyone’s hair curl, even the Brits!

Julie Gough has used the school ‘history’ text to comment on the appalling attitude to, and treatment of the original Tasmanian locals. She has created a stinging text painted in delicate blue ‘printed’ form over a painted ‘white-out’ of most of the printed pages.

The artist is driving us in no uncertain terms, to be aware and guilty of the past inadequacies of European settlers. But, Tasmania had a most horrid introduction between the indigenous Tasmanians and the incomers. The convicts believed they were being sent to the end of the earth, and their jailers were not much better off.

The Tasmanian ‘British’ history book is asking for trouble, with its unconsciously superior, conservative,  Nineteenth century, anglo-centric  point of view, which related neither to the recently arrived, or to the local 18th -19th Century population.

It’s an anachronism, but very feisty and  stimulating and well worth your time.

Normana Wight