Memory

In 2016 John Schumann and Hugh McDonald performed their hit song I was only 19 in the Australian War Memorial's Hall of Memory to 100 invited Vietnam veterans. The performance marked the 50th anniversary of the battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966: Australia's most costly battle in the Vietnam War. The song recounts the story of a Vietnam veteran dealing with the aftermath of the war.

Jolly works by photographing and recording places and events and then selecting details that convey the larger story. This painting is the second part of a triptych that represents three moments from the performance: the song was performed, a minute's silence was observed and then the veterans laid poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Meticulously rendered in oil paint on the reverse side of glass, the luminous surface highlights the colours and intricate details of the event and of the Hall of Memory itself.