| Place | Oceania: Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, Vilu |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART94156 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Overall: 38.2 cm x 172.3 cm |
| Object type | Work on paper |
| Physical description | watercolour on paper |
| Maker |
eX de Medici |
| Place made | Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra |
| Date made | 2009 |
| Conflict |
Solomon Islands (RAMSI), 2003-2013 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
|
Vilu Military Museum
Description
eX de Medici travelled to the Solomon Islands in March 2009 as an official war artist for the Australian War Memorial. This triptych combines several different locations around Guadalcanal. The Vilu Military Museum is east of Honiara. It is an open air museum that contains decaying US and Japanese aircraft and artillery from the Second World War. It also houses the humble memorial to HMAS Canberra, sunk during the battle of Savo Island (colloquially known as the 'battle of Sitting Ducks'). The sinking of Canberra remains a contentious issue. It was attacked by a Japanese ship, but may also have been hit by an Allied one. An Australian and a Tongan, as representatives of RAMSI, contemplate the memorial. In the background is Gold Ridge, a foreign-owned gold-mining operation. Each of these elements contributes to a visual history of events that inform the current fragile state of the Solomon Islands.