Newtown gallery hosts first exhibition on NT intervention

Newtown’s At The Vanishing Point gallery director Brendan Penzer believes the current exhibition about the Northern Territory intervention is the first example of a call for artists to respond to this controversial policy.

Eighteen artists from across Australia have depicted their response to the NT intervention in film, painting, collage and photography.

“There were quite a few comments on opening night by people who were surprised that such an exhibition hadn’t occurred before. Because it’s political it’s a hard place to go to for people who are being funded by the government,” Penzer said.

Artist Teena McCarthy, a first year student at COFA who co-curated the exhibition said she wanted to give people an idea of what’s going on in their own backyard.

“I was very interested in how the intervention makes people feel. I have no idea what it must be like to have your income managed by Centrelink,” Teena said.

“I know people are crying, it’s very hard, to understand and to live with.”

One response from the heart of the intervention was from Arrente artist Jane Doolan from Santa Teresa in Central Australia. Her strikingly vibrant dot painting is an incredible adaptation of an art form with ancient roots depicting a very modern theme. Doolan says in her artist’s statement that Intervention changes is about old people not understanding what the Basics Card means and young people taking them shopping. McCarthy, who knows the artist from her days working at Santa Teresa, says the Basics Card had made it harder for people to travel. People could no longer pool together money for something like paying for an airfare as their incomes are quarantined and can only be spent at certain designated shops.

“I think it’s a discriminating and demoralising act and it’s time for some change. By doing something like this I can only hope that it gets heard, that people get a better understanding about it and hopefully we can inspire some change out there, because I think it’s not only a national shame job, it’s an international shame job,” McCarthy said.

“One again it’s made Aboriginal feel like, after years of struggle, things have gone backwards, it’s disempowering and demoralising.”

iNTervention Intervention is showing at At The Vanishing Point Gallery at 565 King St, Newtown until January 30.

BY LIZ CUSH