New acquisitions from FireWorks Gallery

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people please be aware that this article contains names of deceased peoples and descriptions of historic frontier violence, including massacres.

In June 2021, the Australian War Memorial welcomed four new acquisitions from FireWorks Gallery in Brisbane by prominent First Nations artists Paul Bong (b. 1963; Yidinji), Jennifer Herd (b. 1951; Mbararrum), and Vincent Serico (1949–2008; Wakka Wakka/Kabi Kabi). The artists have explored their relationships to Country, identity, ancestors, and the legacy of frontier violence in Queensland.

Vincent Serico, whose artistic body of work spans over 40 years, regarded himself as a history painter. His works are known for documenting significant events in his life and those of previous generations, as Indigenous peoples struggled with cultural and lifestyle changes including forced removal from Country and kin, life in missions, deaths in custody, and frontier violence. His artistic endeavours aim to shed light on the dark history of his ancestors.

Kilcoy Massacre III is part of a series started by the artist in 1993. The painting was commissioned in 2002 for the exhibition Native Title Business which toured Australia from 2002 to 2005. This work focusses on colonial-era exploration in Queensland and the violence that ensued. Native troopers can be seen engaged in combat with local Indigenous peoples; people are on the lookout for the arrival of the colonisers; Elders conduct a bora ring ceremony; and people hunt with fish traps and live as a community. Vincent Serico’s distinctive techniques are observed in this work, with a use of traditional ochre colours alongside a heightened palette of cross-hatching.

The Kilcoy Massacre occurred in early 1842, when an estimated 50–80 Aboriginal people were poisoned by flour laced with arsenic. This massacre is regarded as a major catalyst for resistance and declarations of war in the surrounding regions in the years that followed. Many of Vincent Serico’s family members come from Kilcoy which is located close to Cherbourg where he spent a lot of time growing up.  

Paul Bong is a printmaker whose works often focus on reclaiming cultural treasures and histories that have been disrupted and dislocated through colonial processes. Bong uses intaglio etching and vinyl print techniques to recreate the forms of cultural material including rainforest shields, king plates, weaponry and dilly bags.  These works are often printed to scale and hand-coloured with watercolour and acrylic paints. The prints represent a way to reclaim cultural treasures that have been removed from their communities and now reside largely in museums. The inclusion of museum-type labelling on the completed works further critiques the collecting and display of Aboriginal culture by museums.

The five-print series, Memories of Oblivion tells a narrative that spans more than 50,000 years, from the earliest records of settlement in Far North Queensland through to the present day. Focussing on the impact of colonisation on the region around Cairns, the gradual incursion of the Union Jack onto the form of a rainforest shield references the destruction of culture and livelihoods, and the persecution and murder of Aboriginal people on the colonial frontier. The series also commemorates those who died protecting Country. In the artist’s own words:

The flag of the Union Jack is now as part the other fragments in this shield. The middle fragment represents the "Heart", The Heart of the Dreamtime, The Heart of the song lines and the heart of my story. The shield is the "Heart" of the rainforest people, but our fragmented lives are still very much alive. We are still hanging on to what is left. To Our Fallen Men, Women and Our Children. Lest We Forget.

Jennifer Herd is one of the founding members of Queensland Indigenous arts collective proppaNOW. Much of her work speaks to her background in fashion design, incorporating fabric, haberdashery, printmaking and painting. Her works are focused on truth telling and aim to shine a light on the history of frontier resistance, particularly that of her mother’s Country in Far North Queensland.

This work pays tribute to the Bama warriors of the North Queensland rainforests in the Atherton Tableland region. North Queensland shield designs and the use of pin holes as a metaphor for bullet holes are common in her work. The artist uses the pin holing technique to highlight the bloody intersection of two cultures:

They symbolise the many rainforest shields punctured with bullet holes during these frontier conflicts. As Christie Palmerston, an explorer at the time so chillingly wrote, “Their shields may answer very well for the purposes of their wars, but my rifle drilled through these as if they were sheets of paper."

Jennifer Herd has also used the shield motif in her work Irvinebank Massacre:

The work reflects my own personal perspectives concerning what might be a fitting memorial for the people of Far North Queensland. Articulated through this work is a firm connection to the land and culture, which remains the primary inspiration for many urban Indigenous artists today. It is presented in a variety of media that demonstrate an understanding of the importance of recounting history from an Indigenous standpoint and reconnecting oneself with Country. The act of transforming these ideas into artistic work has afforded me a unique opportunity to acknowledge the strength of culture and traditions in a contemporary way. Against a variety of backdrops and variety of art traditions, the work informs us about the past, present and a vision for the future.

The Irvinebank Massacre occurred around 8 pm on Saturday 18 October 1884, when four Aboriginal people – an elderly man, two women and a six-year-old girl – were fired upon at their camp. They were murdered by Sub-Inspector William A. Nichols’ team of native mounted police. Shell casings, bullets lodged in surrounding trees, a partially burnt shield, spear, and woomera (spear thrower) were found alongside a gruesome scene of partially burnt, deceased Aboriginal persons. Nichols was stood down after an investigation but charges were eventually dropped. His team of native mounted police were eventually released from custody on the grounds that a suitable interpreter could not be found.

See below for further works that address the theme of frontier violence in Australia.