Redback Graphix and Its Aftermath Fresh Blood Contents

REDBACK GRAPHIX AND ITS AFTERMATH FRESH BLOOD CONTENTS

FRESH BLOOD: REDBACK GRAPHIX AND ITS AFTERMATH 06-13 STUART BAILEY

SYDNEY 2018 – POSTER PRODUCTION AND DISSEMINATION IN A CITY WITHOUT WALLS 14-21 WENDY MURRAY

LIVING POLITICS IN THE CITY: FROM TRANSGRESSIONAL GRAFFITI TO ROGUE POSTER CAMPAIGNS 22-35 FLAVIA MARCELLO

LIST OF WORKS 38-39

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 40

Opposite page: Raise the dole dance, 1984 Redback Graphix / Michael Callaghan, Sharon Pusell (printer), Craig Donarski (printers assistant) 2 Colour screenprint on paper, 750 x 500 mm 3 FRESH BLOOD REDBACK GRAPHIX AND ITS AFTERMATH

4 5 FRESH BLOOD: REDBACK GRAPHIX AND ITS AFTERMATH

BY STUART BAILEY

Between 1979 and 1994 Redback Graphix was an art and design collective known and respected for its political activism. Grass-roots in its relationship to politics, the collective designed posters that were plastered in public spaces throughout Australia and beyond. The ethos of Redback Graphix was dem- ocratic and egalitarian, with a special bent to give voice to the marginalized and oppressed. They addressed economic inequality, advocated for fairness in the workplace, promoted union membership and focused on issues affecting migrants. Today, these posters provide rich insight into social issues of the 1980s and ‘90s, and are a model of political engagement for artists, designers and activists. Fresh Blood: Redback Graphix and its aftermath highlights the historical significance of Redback Graphix by examining its ongoing political and artistic impact. The curators argue for the continuing relevance of the political poster in Australia by installing the posters of Redback Graphix in dialogue with contemporary works by artists Mini Graff, ZAP!, Blak Douglas, Alex Latham, PITS and CAMO. This highlights how issues addressed by the collective in the 1980s and 90s are still relevant to contemporary art and artists, many of whom chose Printmedia as a key dimension of their practice. They vouch for the fact that the poster is perhaps not as otiose or as out-of-date as some may have us believe. This exhibition poses the question: Why are political posters

Mark your Mark, 2015 still relevant in the age of social media, and how have the issues they address Mini Graff shifted since the era of Redback Graphix? Colour screenprint on 90gsm litho (from three stencils) 700 x 500 mm Previous spread, Fresh Blood: Redback Graphix and its aftermath, Installation view 07 Use your brain, use the train, 1990 Redback history and significance with at times abrasive approach has lent Redback Redback Graphix / Michael Callaghan Redback was conceived my Michael Callaghan in Graphics its esteem in the history of Australian po- Colour screenprint, from four stencils on paper 491 x 742mm 1979 during an artist residency at Griffith University litical graphics. in Brisbane.1 Inspired by the direction of his earlier work with Earthworks Poster Collective, he estab- Pressing issues, then and now lished Redback Graphix in 1979 with an aim to not The exhibition draws attention to the historical sig- only advocate for political causes he believed in, but nificance of Redback Graphix output and demands a to draw a living wage for his efforts. Callaghan and consideration of their ongoing influence. When com- collaborator Gregor Cullen had a belief that individu- paring political posters from the 1980s and 90s to als could make a difference in local and international those of today, the stubborn nature of some social political issues. Michael Callaghan, Gregor Cullen, issues becomes apparent. While posters produced Alison Alder and Leonie Lane formed the core of the today may have a contemporary inflection and sub- group with additional designers and printmakers re- tlety, the urgency with which the issues weigh on the cruited depending on the needs of the project.2 Over creators is undiminished. time they would be joined by former Earthworks One of the most recognizable Redback Graphix members Marie McMahon, Jan Mackay and Ray posters is If the unemployed are dole bludgers what Young amoungst others. In 1980 the studio moved the fuck are the idle rich? from 1979. Founder Mi- to Stuart Park in Wollongong and set up shop in a chael Callaghan designed and printed the images disused kiosk. that aimed to critically reflect on the popular com- Redback Graphix emerged at a time when com- plaint that those receiving unemployment benefits munity-based print collectives were thriving. In were lazy and taking advantage of the system. Under 1973 under the Whitlam government the Commu- the titular text a painfully bright pink chimpanzee nity Arts Board of the Australia Council funded com- wearing a swimming costume lounges comfortably munity-based projects that fostered the activities of under a colourful umbrella with a cooling drink in arts organisations within their respective commu- their hand. True to the business model of Redback nities.3 These included groups working in Sydney, Graphix the poster was commissioned by Steel City Melbourne, Canberra and Darwin such as Another Pictures to help raise funds for an upcoming film pro- Planet, Garage Graphix, Cockroach Posters, Lucifoil duction helmed by Michael’s sister Mary Callaghan.6 Poster Collective, Redletter Press, ACME ink, Jalak The negative view of the unemployed and their Graphics and Matilda Graphics amoungst others. financial support by the government has gained real Despite this, Redback Graphix did not easily fit this traction in the neo-conservative political environment model and instead was a design agency that had an emerging from the 1980s onwards. The stalling of artists-client relationship.4 In its early days it most the growth of the dole has been viewed as punitive7 often relied on trade unions or political groups to and the current payment is well below the poverty fund the production of posters but toward the late line and minimum wage.8 Until recently even the no- 1980s state funded groups commissioned a greater tion of protesting this minimal amount of government number works.5 assistance seemed unthinkable, however there has Aesthetically, the early works were informed by been a minor shift in attitude with even conservative the cut-and-paste approach of late 1970s punk politicians acknowledge the impossibility of surviving culture, along with its antagonism. As the collec- and finding work on Newstart allowance.9 tive moved into the 1980s fluorescent colours and The reality of being an unemployed, or under geometric patterns provided active, eye catching employed today is addressed by Dewey Tafoya and compositions. Even when reflecting design trends Wendy Murray in their 2017 poster Working poor of the 1980s, the collective’s work was always bold isn’t working for us! 2017. The artists used outmod- and distinctive. Wry political commentary combined ed Letraset text and clip art to generate a punchy

08 09 text-based screen-printed poster that addresses a considerable advantage in cutting through the the plight of those surviving on an income below mass-produced and omnipresent commercial ad- the poverty line, the under-employed and workers vertising. They exist as a marker of defiance in the living project-to-project in the ‘gig’ economy. This is a face of sanctioned messages from the state or adver- much-needed update on the pithy commentary of If tisers occupying public spaces that are under threat the unemployed are dole bludgers what the fuck are of ongoing privatisation and ever expanding digital the idle rich? from 1979. It highlights the fact that surveillance. An illicit poster is an artefact that em- the inadequate Newstart payment is just one con- bodies resistance. It can be an unexpectedly intimate sideration in a range of interconnected issues that mode of communication, evoking a special sense of affect not only the unemployed, but all of those at the liberation from forces that seek to control and mon- mercy of the labour market. The issues have shift- etize public space.14 This compelling aspect of the ed and become more complex as worker rights and medium applies equally to the strident messages of the strength of unions have been eroded.10 Perhaps activists and the more indirect commentary of artists. surprisingly, both works have a great deal in com- In the face of these changes artists motivations mon, despite the considerable shifts in politics and for persisting are multifarious and the attraction of communication technologies that have occurred in working unsanctioned in public spaces shows no the twenty-five years that separate their production. sign of abating. When considering the enduring nature of political For some artists the material presence of a poster posters across recent time it is important to note the is a reminder that we inhabit a physical world.15 The immense shifts in the nature of political communica- virtual spaces we occupy offer a kind of social con- tion. The emergence of online activism encourages nection before unavailable, however they are also sti- the fast dispersal of political messages globally and fling, predictable and prone to censorship motivated can successfully target an engaged audience with by corporate and political interests. Wendy Murray ease. In response some commentators have herald- has similar motivations and will continue posting her ed the death of the political poster anew, as has been work on the streets. In an email exchange regarding the case at the emergence of every new communi- her motivations she insisted: cation medium, from cinema, radio and television to “Nothing can replace that feeling - when you digital communication and social media.11 While the turn a street corner and see a poster or piece relevance of political graphics in digital form seems of street art that surprises, intrigues or dis- undeniable the idea of hand-printing posters and turbs you. Also, unlike social media, your au- painstakingly distributing them throughout the city dience hasn’t ‘followed’ you and your work is surely an anachronism? - you’re just there. This gives me the opportu- In truth the persistent role of political posters in nity to reach a broader, diverse audience.”16 social movements has been overlooked at a time when the discussion is almost exclusively focussed Ultimately, the pre-eminence of digital communi- on digital communication and social media.12 De- cation has only served to shift and redefine the role spite the notable capabilities of online networking, of analogue media. So, while the nature of political political posters still have a surprising presence and communication has changed considerably since the power to communicate in unique ways. Advertising time of Redback Graphix, artists commitment to this is overtaking public spaces in new and innovative medium remain undiminished. ways, including infiltrating public infrastructure such as bus shelters, benches, toilets, and more13 and our Stuart Bailey, Sydney College of the Arts,

Do the thing, 2016, ownership of public space is constantly threatened. University of Sydney P.I.T.S, Colour screenprint on paper The material presence of a handmade message has 260 x 760mm

She Sells Dreams, 2016 P.I.T.S Colour screenprint on paper 260 x 760mm 11 FOOTNOTES

1| Butler, R. (1993). The Streets as Art Galleries - Sometimes Walls Speak: Poster Art in Australia. Canberra, National Gallery of Australia, 50.

2| Zagala, A. (2008). Redback Graphix. Canberra, National Gallery of Australia, 100. 3| Butler, R. (1993). The Streets as Art Galleries - Sometimes Walls Speak: Poster Art in Australia. Canberra, National Gallery of Australia, 52.

4| Ibid. 5| Zagala, A. (2008). Redback Graphix. Canberra, National Gallery of Australia, 122 6| Callaghan, M. O. a. M. (2013). “Mary Callaghan, film and Greetings from Wollongong.” Retrieved 25 November, 2017, from http://steelcitypictures.blogspot.com/.

7| Bennett, O. (2015). “Our Punitive Welfare Policies Crush The Unemployed And Keep Them Out Of Work.” Retrieved 25 November, 2018, from https://newmatilda.com/2015/11/20/our-punitive-welfare-policies- crush-the-unemployed-and-keep-them-out-of-work/.

8| Murphy, K. (2018). “Strong case to boost Newstart but politicians are up to their old games.” The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/may/05/strong- case-to-boost-newstart-but-politicians-are-up-to-their-old-games.

9| Henriques-Gomes, L. (2018). “Bob Katter joins fellow crossbenchers to demand an increase to Newstart.” The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/ nov/16/bob-katter-joins-fellow-crossbenchers-to-demand-an-increase-to-newstart.

10| Chalmers, Stephanie. “Strike Action ‘near Extinct’ as Wages Stagnate, Think Tank Says.” ABC, https://www.abc. net.au/news/2018-01-30/strike-action-near-extinct-as-wages-stagnate,-think-tank-shows/9376070.

11| Mention Hans Magnus Enzenberger criticising French students mking posters instead of using radio and television in the 1968 uprisings and Joseph and Shizuko Müller-Brockmann predicting it death in the face of emergent electronic media in 1971.

12| Gerbaudo, P. (2014). “Spikey Posters: Street media and territoriality in Urban Activist Scenes.” Space and Culture 17(3): 239-250.

13| Crew, The Urban. Sydney - We Need to Talk! University of Sydney 2018, 14 14| Gerbaudo, P. (2014). “Spikey Posters: Street media and territoriality in Urban Activist Scenes.” Space and Culture 17(3): 247

15| Guffey, E. E. (2015). Posters a Global History. London, Reaktion Books Ltd, 279. 16| Email exchange with the artist 4 December 2018

Go Blotto!, 1984 Redback Graphix / Leonie Lane Colour screenprint on paper, 760 x 557 mm

12 SYDNEY 2018 – POSTER PRODUCTION AND DISSEMINATION IN A CITY WITHOUT WALLS

BY WENDY MURRAY

Walking Sydney’s streets I often find myself lost in my imagination of what Sydney felt and looked like, ‘back in the day’. When the inner suburbs of Syd- ney were alive with communal artist studios, squats, hand-printed posters on the walls, live music playing from pubs and cafes, independent theatres, and screen printing collectives. I imagine the energy in the studios and ware- houses – artists espousing ideas and ideals in amongst sofas, record players, cigarette smoke, and the smell of turps. I imagine a Sydney quite different to today. One where renting an affordable room in a terrace in the city was possible in Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, or Redfern. Where you might be able to lease a small shared warehouse space for a couple of years in Enmore and construct basic tabletop poster printing set up. Yes, I admit to wearing rose-coloured glasses when looking back at the time. When Red- back Graphix (1979-94) was established at Griffith University, Queensland and later settled in Woollongong. When the Earthworks Poster Collective (1972-80) operated out of the Tin Sheds at the University of Sydney, open to community groups and artists to drop in and make posters, including some of the Redback artists and friends. I imagine one big, loose community of like-minded people, fighting the good fight and making a living printing posters. In Mount Druitt a small, highly motivated collective of women developed a thriving screen print based arts organisation. Garage Graphix (1984-1996)

May Day - Workers of the world unite!, 1986, tackled some of the more confronting issues, including domestic violence, so- Redback Graphix / Marie McMahon and Michael Callaghan Colour screenprint, from five stencils on thin white wove paper 1024 x 1525mm 15 cial housing and Aboriginal aged care with technical the National Art School, a photograph of the work proficiency, a unique vernacular and a respect for the went viral on Facebook, with hundreds of shares and challenging subject matter. I imagine all these col- 14,000 views within twenty-four hours. Both ZAP lectives as a hive of activity, five days a week – with and MINI GRAFF use large-scale character-based community groups, unions, and government organ- works, in small editions (often 2 or 3). They rely on isations acknowledging the value and power of the social media to further disseminate their message – poster. successfully. Social media works well for Inner West So where are the poster collectives today? Where artist CAMO, who has 3733 followers on Instagram. and how are poster works produced in a city whose CAMO’s classic one-colour stencils on butcher’s pa- high rents make it increasingly prohibitive for artists per translate effectively to the small, square format. to survive? Alex Latham employed cheap digitally-printed A3 Poster collectives might not be operating in Syd- posters to disseminate his views on Sydney’s lockout ney in the same way but contemporary poster mak- laws. These found audiences on the streets of Surry ers are as busy as ever. They are just a little harder to Hills, Redfern, St Peters and Newtown. Latham si- find. They have been swept up in the ten-year, over- multaneously uploaded his images to social media, hyped, rise and fall of street art. These artists have where they gained traction. Small but effective – his not been identified specifically for their poster-mak- work was visually different to the A3 Activists – it had ing practice. The Space Invaders1 exhibition at the a local focus and was more considered and directed National Gallery of Australia included some of these at the specific politics of living in Sydney today. Walk practitioners and labeled them as street artists and through these suburbs today and you‘ll see what I the name stuck. Sydney-based artists ZAP, JUMBO call A3 Activist posters. They have the following dis- and MINI GRAFF were included and at the time, al- tinguishing characteristics; colour digital printing, though their practice was predominantly comprised often low-resolution imagery and always A3. The of posters and paste-ups. Somewhere along the way posters embody strong socialist and traditional ac- the term ‘poster maker’ has been dropped from con- tivist themes – often using derivative iconography temporary practice and replaced by ‘street artist’. such as the raised fist or red flags. They are pasted These poster-making Street Artists’ works take up using traditional flour and water mixes – evident different forms – often breaking from the traditional in the lumps and clumps of flour across and around rectangle, lithographic, screen-printed poster format. the posters. These artists created larger than life cut-out charac- You wont see any white flour laden brush strokes ters – hand painted or stenciled posters that differ- over or around the posters by P.I.T.S or CAMO. These entiated their works from that of the more prevalent poster makers had Newtown locked down from digitally-printed, commercial street posters. Appro- 2015-17 and their placement was innovative and priate to the digital space we occupy, medium and considered. Despite the rapid gentrification and be- distribution techniques have changed with artists fore the lock-out laws drove late night drinking and now employing social media, digital printing and violence to Newtown, the streets of the inner west gallery spaces to play out their activism. were theirs. City walls still play a major roll in the dis- Instead of poster artists having to print and semination of posters but the City of Sydney’s zero distribute hundreds of posters, social media has tolerance policy certainly has had an impact on the changed the way contemporary posters are dissem- quantity and locations of posters seen on Sydney’s inated. When MINI GRAFF installed a life size paste- inner city streets. Despite this, artists have learnt up2 in protest of the threatened closure of SCA and how to circumnavigate physical and legislative re-

The NSW government’s ‘After-Hours Safety Helm’ 2, 2016, Alex Latham, digital print, 594 x 841 mm

16 17 strictions. ZAP’s powerful large-scale hand-sten- Commercial, unsanctioned poster crews began ciled, hand-painted street posters question the city’s noticeably encroaching on poster artists’ spaces lawmakers and their relationship to the corporation. from September 2015. Apparition Media, Showtime His superhero comic book-inspired works suggest and Craze Co. are rumored to be companies estab- aliens have invaded earth, posing as capitalists – lished by graffiti writers – with a solid knowledge of hell-bent on destroying the planet and its resources. the street and its nuances. In September 2015 com- His hand-stenciled paste-ups fall within the genre mercial posters started appearing over street posters of street art, but his roots are in graffiti. ZAP has in high visibility locations around the inner city. Plain been ‘getting up’ in Sydney since 1986 with ener- white posters went up over sections of unsanctioned getic, unique aerosol letterform works. His approach posters. Hand painted advertising disguised as street reflects the spirit of early New York graffiti writers, art, started appearing around the city in locations when it was all about developing an individual style previously occupied by poster artists, street artists - the arrow... everybody’s got their own arrow.3 After and graffiti writers in a very public battle playing out laboring for days cutting intricate stencils, ZAP often for our public spaces. These companies are imple- installs one or two copies of the posters in strategic, menting visual strategies for commercial posters high pedestrian areas. ZAP also relies on the millen- and advertising to be seen as street art or sanc- nial obsession with social media to further dissemi- tioned advertising. Commercial advertisers installed nate his work. coloured wooden frames around multiple posters The role of the council plays a big part in the pro- to imply sanctioned advertising spaces. They em- liferation of posters on the street. But zero tolerance ployed artists and hand-painted advertising on end and gentrification are not the only forces working terraces – over existing graffiti productions and street against these artists; it’s not just the local govern- art works.4 Spots that were traditionally occupied by ment policies that poster artists are up against. ZAP, CAMO, P.I.T.S., LISTER and MINI GRAFF were

Above: Fresh Blood: Redback Graphix and its aftermath, installation view

Right: Legal/Illegal, 1984, Redback Graphix / Michael Callaghan, Gregor Cullen and Oscar Duardo, Colour screenprint 874 x 552 mm

18 being claimed as commercial poster spaces. Sure, I can’t help but be inspired by Redback – How do you FOOTNOTES Redback Graphix printed commercial posters, even get a head on the dole? billboards, yet somehow, in my imagination of that Although there are no longer access screen print history, I find their motivations and strategies less studios in the way there were ‘back in the day’ op- 1| Babington, Jaklyn. 2010. Space Invaders – Australian. Street. Stencils. Posters. Zines. Stickers. National Gallery of Australia invasive. Theirs were public safety messages5 not erating in inner city Sydney – there is still a healthy 2| Graff, Mini. Where are we going Uncle Mike? 2016. Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia billboards advertising alcohol under the disguise of cluster of poster makers who pull ink, digitally illus- 3| ZEPHYR. Style Wars. 1983. DVD. Directed by Tony Silver. a mural in support of Mardi Gras celebrations. Where trate, or cut stencils to comment on politics, corpo- 4| “Decommodification: Sydney X New York”, Sydney - We Need to Talk!, Volume 1, 2018 (42-43) were B.U.G.A.U.P6, when you needed them? Poster rate greed, racism, affordable housing and inequal- 5| Redback Graphix, 1990. Use your brain, Use the train. artists did retaliate, using their weapons of choice ity. Virtual discussions have replaced the ‘round the 6| Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions. http://www.bugaup.org – posters. A ‘battle’ for city wall space played out in lunch table’ discussions. Contemporary poster artists 7| Mini Graff , Take the Walls Back, 2017, Cleveland Street, Redfern NSW, Australia public. ZAP identified this as part of the capitalist are busy responding to what they see around them. 8| Mayhew, Louise, Jill Posters Will Be Prosecuted: Australia’s women-only print collectives from the 1970s and 1980s. takeover of the city and MINI GRAFF suggested ‘tak- They have found their own voice on the street, on College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales ing the walls back’. 7 social media or in galleries. So, these contemporary poster artists may not Unlike most of the poster collectives of the share a studio or print from the same workshop but 1970s and 1980s, many of these artists have not they don’t need to. They still collaborate and dis- received government funding to support their post- cuss the politics of the city at events, or on social er-making practice. They appear to operate in the media. Blak Douglas holds regular studio events spirit of Jillposters (1983-87), an all-women’s poster and is pro-active in bringing different types of art- collective that didn’t have a permanent studio space, ists together, including musicians, poster artists, and receive government funding or establish an access those on the fringes. His form of activism runs deep studio. Instead, Jillposters sought to have full cre- through his practice and life. His studio offers an al- ative control and the ability to experiment with their ternative type of collective – a much looser, less for- work on the streets.8 mal means of artists getting together and developing Although contemporary poster makers use differ- ideas and work. ent approaches and digital media to create and dis- That’s how I found Self Help Studio and Graphics seminate their work – they still operate in the spirit of in East L.A. I had heard through the grapevine that the early poster collectives. They voice their opinion in 1984 Michael Callaghan and Gregor Cullen col- through words and images, uninhibited and unafraid laborated with brothers Oscar and Richard Duardo to rub up against those who challenge them. on a set of the most sensational posters in the Red- back repertoire. Legal/ Illegal (1984) was created for Wendy Murray the Chicano Cultural Coalition, L.A. and addresses the harsh immigration policies and appalling treat- ment of Mexican migrants in the US. Chasing this legendary collaboration took me to the L.A. studio and resulted in a poster collaboration with Dewey Tafoya, the current Artist in Residence. It took two days for us to develop a two-poster series, Working Poor, which we stapled up on poles around East L.A., Echo Park and Silver Lake. The posters reflect similar issues to the early Redback works – bank-owned, overworked, underpaid, uninsured and unemployed. Manopoly, 2016 Blak Douglas digital print on archival cotton rag 670 x 700mm

20 LIVING POLITICS IN THE CITY: FROM TRANSGRESSIONAL GRAFFITI TO ROGUE POSTER CAMPAIGNS

BY FLAVIA MARCELLO

Today’s Graffiti landscape Today’s big cities, at least those I have visited lately: London, Milan Rome, Syd- ney and Melbourne where I live, are bespattered with tags and large scale (sometimes corporate) imagery by graffiti or street artists. The murals have become a sanctioned art form but tags still tread a line between a marginalised form of textual expression and vandalism.1 Some ‘graffs’ tag continually to practice their hand and evolve their line. After all, Degas and Picasso did the same but kept it to the privacy of their own sketchbooks. These tags take me back to the 1970s and 80s when graffiti was more of a political act although some argue that it is an inherently political act because it voices identity, pro- vides the adrenalin rush of transgression and challenges the local laws and by-laws that protect government and private property.2 But these ubiquitous tags are not political in content especially if by political we mean calling out our social and political status quo. Gone are the days when activist groups like BUGA UP decried and derided capitalism and the patriarchy with their witty re-workings of advertising slogans on the many billboards that lined Sydney’s main roads back in the 1970s and 80s.3 During the Arab Spring uprisings that swept across northern Africa and the Middle East in 2011 Cairo became a hot- spot of political graffiti and what was previously a highly risky, illegal act was made legitimate thanks to media attention4 and the most recent gilet jaunes protests in France in late 2018 saw the Arc de Triomphe used as a prime site for political expression through the medium of spray paint.5

International Women's Day, for Wollongong Women's Centre, 1985 Redback Graphix / Alison Alder and Leonie Lane Colour screenprint on paper, 370 x 500mm 23 Political discourse alive in the posters (See Figure 2). It is ephemeral and its presence is determined only by the will Although political graffiti is alive and well in other parts of the globe, in the An- and action of private owners.11 glosphere – or what I have seen in my recent field work in London, Sydney and Melbourne – it seems that political graffiti is a lost art (and I will call it art). Ital- Today’s Poster artists ian graffiti shows that it is a country still dealing with the vestiges of the Fascist Today’s posters, unlike the tags that obsessively affirm and re-affirm that each regime under Mussolini (1922-1943),6 while in Israel messages of non-violent individually identifiable tagger ‘woz ere’, are both collective an anonymous protest and solidarity have been sprayed almost continuously onto the wall which makes them akin to the work of Redback Graphix. In the tradition of built in the early 2000s to divide the occupied territories of the West Bank.7 the Atelier populaire, poster artists are art trained and respond to the political However, political comments against the government and individual poli- climate by using their skills and knowledge to communicate a message.12 We ticians (both left and right) or riling against capitalism and the patriarchy are do not know the extent of their artistic education but the references to Dada- not dead and gone. They are alive and well and, literally, manifest in posters. ism, Surrealism, Constructivism and Warhol’s screen print effects offer obvious There are not the ‘quick and dirty’ screen printed posters of seventies or the clues. It may seem a paradox that left-wing, anti-capitalist groups appropriate more refined productions of Redback Graphix. They are usually digitally made pop culture and commercial imagery to communicate their message.13 But for and printed in a cheap and easily accessible A3 format. For this reason Wendy our A3 Activists it makes a lot of sense. Firstly, digital technology and means of Murray has dubbed them A3 Activists (see essay in this catalogue). production make it much easier to appropriate and manipulate images. Sec- The A3 Activists continue what might be called art’s pedagogical function ondly, using capitalist images to promote anti-capitalist message is part of the in an arena where you do not need the privilege of a galleried artist to get your wit and irony. Thirdly, recognisable pop culture and commercial images cap- point across. This is pedagogy in the sense of conscientisation, a process that ture our attention in a different way. We recognise them and then do not quite

Paulo Freire has described as more than a simple prise de conscience (getting recognise them, their recontextualisation and modification strengthen their Figure 2: Scripta manent graffiti of consciousness). Citizens overcome a state of false consciousness and are message and jolt us out of the distracted state that we normally view them in. by Anarchist groups in and ‘crossed out’ six months later, Rome. 8 inserted, as a conscientised person, into a demythologised reality. For example, But they are not interested in promoting their individual identity, they oper- Photograph by author. posters can take passers-by in the street out of a false state of consciousness ate as anonymous collectives in the tradition of other 60s groups like London’s where racism and sexism are acceptable and then insert them into a reali- poster workshops and the various Sydney examples discussed by Murray.14 ty where they are not. For Freire, simply denouncing dehumanising or unjust They are also not concerned with the ‘fearlessness’ or ‘bravery’ of certain tag- structures is not enough, an alternative reality (usually a form of utopia) must gers and graffs who climb to seemingly impossible and dangerous heights to be both proposed and realised. This makes activism a form of true cultural make their mark. Like Redback Graphix, they are concerned with a different action for freedom as opposed to cultural action for domination, leading to a kind of fearlessness and bravery that to call into question the status quo of level of critical consciousness born of thought and action together, or praxis.9 contemporary society. Political posters aim to bring people from a naive state of consciousness to a The 1968: Protest and The Photobook (2018) exhibit at the Tate Modern level of critical consciousness that will, eventually, lead to action and change. in London and indeed the very Redback Graphix exhibition that is the subject This is particularly important in mass societies where the media prescribe of this catalogue are indicative of a shift from the realm of protest and trans- thought and action as opposed to people acting in response to their dialectical gression to sanctioned art where self-defined ‘weapons in the service of the relationship with the world around them.10 Freire himself features on these struggle’ become aesthetic objects.15 Any former member of the Atelier visit- posters so we know that A3 Activists are aware of his work (See Figure 1). The ing London in 2018 would have been unimpressed at their work being used full quote from his Pedagogy of the Oppressed reads: “Washing one’s hands of for decorative purposes and displayed in a bourgeois place of culture.16 They the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the believed such display would impair both function and effect. But does this powerful, not to be neutral.” process of aestheticisation help or hinder their messages? Limits to cultural action are set both by the oppressive reality itself and Their messages are many: they speak out against the incumbent govern- the silences imposed by power elites. In our case, these are laws to ostensi- ment which, like Siddhartha’s river, is ever changing yet always the same; the bly to protect private property by making posters and graffiti illegal but work shaken but remarkably still stable institution of the patriarchy and the capitalist effectively to silence unofficial political discourse. Zero tolerance policies that Figure 1: Paulo Freire, Brunswick, system with its fast-growing offspring, neo-liberalism. These posters also tackle immediately remove them reinforce this. It may be true that scripta manent, Victoria. Photograph by author. on going social issues like racism, housing, police violence, employment and verba volant (the spoken word may fly but the written word stays) but not the environment that I remember were problems in the seventies and continue when the writing is unofficially on the walls and everyone can have their say to be so today.

24 25 Empty kids, 1987 Redback Graphix/ Marie McMahon Colour screenprint, from four stencils on thick white wove paper screenprint on paper, 49 x 73.8 cm

26 27 Collective/anonymous Authorship Poster types As Stuart Bailey has explained in his essay Redback Graphix also worked as a As mentioned earlier, the rogue campaigns of today’s A3 Activists address a kind of collective. They always included a logo so while individual artists were range of social and political issues. Politicians are an easy target for bringing up not technically ‘signing’ their work, Redback Graphix was unambiguously the larger problems such as the environment or indigenous land rights. Left-wing author. In some examples of contemporary political posters we may be able politicians are criticised for sitting on the fence or hypocrisy and leveraging to recognise the ‘hand’ but the author/s remain/s anonymous. This is the case the plight of others for their own political gain as we can see in the posters of the lino cut look of Untitled (3 impaled police cars) or Capitalism Breaks My against former Labor Environment Minister Peter Garrett and the Borroloola Heart. Stop Evictions! and the semi-Surrealist collage style of the series against community in the Northern Territory (Hypocrite) or Labor Leader of the oppo- Frydenburg as the Adani ‘Coal King’ (see Figure 3 & 6). sition Bill Shorten in relation to the much-protested Adani coal mine (Get off Even posters that are technically ‘signed’, like those of crimethinc.com the Fence). Right wing politicians are even easier targets. Environment Minister (eg. Show them Who’s Boss. No One) are not about individual authorship. Josh Frydenburg is portrayed as the Coal King and nick-named the Minister for Crimethinc are a decentralised network for collective anonymous action who Coal while Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton (who covers national security employ guerrilla tactics to propose an alternative form of media to “the strate- and immigration) was branded as a Fakewit at the centre to a #dumpdutton gic terrain on which the authorities position themselves to legitimise the use campaign with a series of posters that borrowed heavily on Andy Warhol’s of force” (see Figure 4). They operate world-wide on a variety of material and screen printed portrait series with a particular kinship to his portrait of former virtual platforms and posters, PDFs of which they also sell on their website, are Chinese communist Party leader, Mao Zedong (see Figure 6). just a small part of what they do.17 In the limited space left available I will discuss some contemporary ex- Other poster artists, like Peter Drew, consider the street as an extended amples that have direct parallels with some of Redback Graphix work. These and public art gallery or what he calls “a great equaliser” that “emphasises continuities indicate that social and political issues like racism, women’s issues our fundamental freedom of expression, over the value of property”.18 He is and inequality are still at play in contemporary society. This begs the question, a creature of the 21st Century with a website, Instagram and Twitter and was what has really changed? These marginalised minorities are working hard to able to fund his Real Aussie poster campaign through Pozible.com (see Figure claim the space of the street to have their voices heard but is anyone really 5). He calls himself an artist and ‘political entrepreneur’ and his work treads listening? Or are those who retain the power choosing not to listen? a line between political commitment and self-promotion that still fulfils street art’s pedagogical function. Like many artists, he is just trying to make a living Figure 3 – Lino cut style, Untitled Racism (3 impaled police cars) (above) & but the political function is not the main driver. Capitalism Breaks My Heart. Stop The No Racism in the Workplace poster aimed to eliminate workplace discrim- So, is an individual (and potentially famous) artist’s voice more or less Evictions! (above), Dulwich Hill, Sydney. ination and vilification and those of us who work in large institutions will have Photograph by author. powerful than a collective and anonymous one? I will not go into the case of all done the required training modules to teach us what not to do. However, Banksy’s rise from ‘vandal’ to multi-million dollar selling artist here. Not signing the number of political posters still around today addressing racism indicates the posters does two things. It protects the anonymity of the authors who, by that legislating from above does not do enough to create critical consciousness the chosen media of their political expression, are transgressing State-based and/or that behaviour in the workplace does not translate into public and gen- laws that place bill posting under the rubric of defacement. Secondly, being eral attitudes. The most caustic of these is White Nationalists – Drink Bleach! anonymous and part of a collective strengthens their voice by giving them a featuring a ‘perfect’ white man who looks like a cross between a Ken doll and unity – like an unseen choir. As Frédéric Sotinel pointed out at a recent sym- the man in the Chesty Bond ads with the suggestion that he poison himself by posium on Living Politics in the City in Rennes, posters are made for walls but drinking bleach (see Figure 7). The Real Aussie campaign, mentioned above, walls are not necessarily made for posters. Or are they? is more subtle. It draws on archival documents and exposes – for those who Wendy Murray has discussed the many poster collectives active in Sydney may decide to do some background research on it – the intrinsic racism of the and their transition from more traditional screen printing to more digital means White Australia Policy that has unconsciously shaped attitudes to particular that favour the A3 format and can expand their exposure and distribution through groups of migrants. Figure 6 – Garrett, Shorten, social media, especially with the use of hashtags. In fact, if you type the headings Dutton & Frydenburg under of most posters into a search engine most posters will reappear in Reddit (with fire, Hawthorn and Brunswick. Photograph by author. attached discussion), on Tumblr and in Twitter feeds but their authorship remains difficult to source. Rogue poster campaigns are in effect, a more laborious and legally risky version of Twitter, Facebook, blogs or even photocopying.19 Figure 4 - Crimethinc, Show them Who’s Boss. No One, Dulwich hill, Sydney. Photograph by author.

28 29 Above: If the unemployed are dole bludgers, what the fuck are the idle rich?, 1979 Michael Callaghan Colour screenprint on paper from five stencils on thin white wove paper, 735 x 850mm

Left: Working Poor isn't Working for us!, 2017 Dewey Tafoya and Wendy Murray Colour screenprint on paper 30 440 x 760mm 31 Women’s Issues Redback Graphix addressed women’s issues with their posters advertising In- ternational Women’s Day marches. These were regular events on my childhood calendar and have lately gained new impetus in the wake of the #metoo move- ment.20 Women’s issues are confronted in political posters with varying degrees of extremism. A sticker campaign denounces violence against women with the haunting, yet subtle title Missing while others like, Kill Your Local Rapist are far more militant drawing on superhero tropes and characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The issue of male violence is also addressed through a signed poster campaign What percentage of violence is committed by men? that is a direct and didactic appeal to raising critical consciousness. It presents statistics on all forms of male violence (not just against women) and directs citizens to Jackson Katz’s documentary Tough Guise with a view to effecting behaviour change. Others draw on the inevitable connection between capitalism and the patriarchy such as the Death to Capitalism – Death to Patriarchy poster that features four smiling women pointing their guns directly to the viewer and onto the street. These have been pasted up all through Sydney’s inner west and as far afield as Bexley. It is also a convenient segue to a topic that seems to be increasing in popularity amongst A3 Activists, particularly of the anarchist variety: anti-capitalism and the growing divide between rich and poor.

The Divide between Rich and Poor The Redback Graphix monkey who asks: “If the unemployed are dole bludgers then what the fuck are the idle rich?” is also asking broader questions about the nature of employment and the gap between rich and poor. A3 Activists are still asking the same questions. As with the other examples below there is a range of views. There is the hyperbolically provocative Arm the Poor – Eat the Rich with an iconic roast pig on a plate flanked by a rifle and a fork, to the more violence-inciting Who if not You? – When if not Now? – Kill Capitalists that features Figure 8. Kill Your Local Rapist (above); Death to Capitalism the kind of guillotine used during the French Revolution. The comic strip spoof – Death to Patriarchy (C); Why not make this your Lucky Day? adds a satirical take on the conventional What percentage of violence is committed by men? (above), family structure and shows the typical husband coming home to tell his family Dulwich Hill, Sydney and that they have seized the factory and hung the boss so his wife rushes off to put Brunswick, Melbourne on her looting clothes. Other posters focus on the consequences of capitalism such as the housing crisis: from the expressionist woodcut Capitalism Breaks my Heart – Stop Evictions (see Figure 3) to the Russian constructivist-inspired Rent is Theft. Other posters funded by the Young Workers Centre – Did you know? Unpaid trials are illegal? aim to raise awareness about fair pay to Gener- ation Z who are facing an increased casualization of the workforce, particularly in the hospitality industry.

Pay the rent: You are on Aboriginal land, Edition #2, 1982 Marie McMahon Colour screenprint on paper 759 x 560mm 33 Conclusion – Poster Art for the 21st Century FOOTNOTES Despite the demise of political graffiti in the Anglosphere, political discourse remains alive through the medium of posters. This short survey has shown that Redback Graphix are an important member of a genealogical tree whose parents are the Atelier populaire, the Poster Workshop and Earthworks Poster 1| Victoria Carrington, “I write, therefore I am: Texts in the City,” Visual Communication, 8, 4 (2009): 409–425 DOI Collective and whose children are today’s A3 Activists. Sexism and racism still 10.1177/1470357209343356, 417-9. rear their ugly heads and capitalism continues as a global economic force that 2| John Ferrell, Crimes of style: urban graffiti and the politics of criminality. Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1996, 28, small groups and collectives will continue to fight against. This generation may 148 and Chapter 4. not have the general climate of rebellion and protest that fuelled the move- 3| BUGA UP also operated under a health agenda and particularly targeted alcohol and tobacco advertising and it would not be ments of the 1960s and 70s but they have a new force behind them. The a stretch to say their campaigns had an influence on their being banned altogether. internet and social media act as a kind of megaphone: more people see rogue 4| For more on the Arab Spring see: Georgiana Nicoarea, “Interrogating the Dynamics of Egyptian Graffiti: from Neglected poster campaigns online than physically walk past them. For those of us who Marginality to Image Politics,” Revista Română de Studii Eurasiatice, 10, 1-2 (2014): 171-186 & John Lennon, “Assembling a Revolution Graffiti, Cairo and the Arab Spring,” Cultural Studies Review, 20, 1 (2014): 237–75. see their message in the urban realm, they call us out of our state of distraction as we walk down our streets and hopefully direct viewer’s, one more step at a 5| Matt Fidler, “Words on the street: graffiti of the Paris protests – in pictures”, The Guardian, 3 December 2018. https://www. time to a level of conscientisation that will lead to real social change. theguardian.com/world/gallery/2018/dec/03/words-on-the-street-graffiti-of-the-paris-protests-in-pictures?CMP=Share_ iOSApp_Other [Accessed 4 December 2018].

Flavia Marcello, Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology 6| F. Marcello, “‘Epi-graffiti’: Changing Arenas of Conflict in Rome’s Public Realm from Fascism (1922-1943) to the Bullet Years (1968-1982) and Beyond”, Histories in Conflict: Cities, Buildings, Landscapes, EAHN 2017, Jerusalem, June 13-15, 2017.

7| See Steven T. Olberg, Political Graffiti on the West Bank Wall in Israel, Edwin Mellen Press, 2013. 8| Paulo Freire, “Cultural Action and Conscientization”, translated by Loretta Slover, Harvard Educational Review, 40, 3 August 1970, 452-77, republished in Paulo Freire, Cultural Action for Freedom, Monograph Series no. 1, Cambridge: Harvard Educational Review, 1988, 46 (full pp.27-52).

9| Freire, “Cultural Action and Conscientization”, 47-8. 10| Freire, “Cultural Action and Conscientization”, 49. 11| Flavia Marcello, “Where has Melbourne’s political graffiti gone?”, The Conversation, 26 April 2018, https://theconversation. com/profiles/flavia-marcello-403040/articles. [Accessed 3 December 2018]

12| Liam Considine, “Screen Politics: Pop Art and the Atelier Populaire,” Tate Papers 24, Autumn 2015, https://www.tate.org.uk/ research/publications/tate-papers/24/screen-politics-pop-art-and-the-atelier-populaire [Accessed 29 November 2108].

13| Considine, “Screen Politics: Pop Art and the Atelier Populaire.” 14| Steve Rose, “Poster Workshop: The art of revolution,” The Guardian 25 March 2011, https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2011/mar/25/poster-workshop-1968-printmakers-revolution [Accessed 29 November 2108].

15| 1968: Protest and The Photobook curated by Sarah Allen, https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/display/artist-and- society/1968-protest-and-photobook [Accessed 29 November 2108].

16| Rose, “Poster Workshop: The art of revolution.” 17| CrimethInc, “About CrimethInc”, https://crimethinc.com/about [Accessed: 9 November 2018]. 18| Peter Drew Arts, “About”, https://www.peterdrewarts.com/contact/ [Accessed 22 November 2018] 19| Rose, “Poster Workshop: The art of revolution.” 20| Nadia Khomami, Alexandra Topping, Sam Jones, Kim Willsher & Harriet Sherwood, “International Women’s Day marked by protests and celebrations,” The Guardian, 8 March 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/08/international- womens-day-marked-by-protests-and-celebrations [Accessed 29 November 2018].

Onward Christian Soldiers, 1979 Redback Graphix / Michael Callaghan and others Colour screenprint on paper, 745 x 495 mm Next page, Fresh Blood: Redback Graphix and its aftermath, Installation view with New World Order, 2017 by ZAP! 35

Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Australian Railways Union Association for Northern and Gallery. Purchased with assistance Gallery. Purchased with assistance LIST OF WORKS from the Visual Arts Board from the Visual Arts Board (client) Central Australian Aboriginal of the Australia Council, 1987 of the Australia Council, 1987 Use your brain, use the train, Artists (ANCAAA) (client) 1990 Karnta, 1988 Contemporary artists Do the thing, 2016 aerosol stencil on paper Amnesty International Australia Alison Alder Gregor Cullen colour screenprint from Offset lithograph printed in Alex Latham colour screenprint on paper Courtesy of the artist (Kiama) (client) (artist and printer) (designer and printer) four stencils on paper colour on white wove card The NSW government's 'After- Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy Disappeared = Dead, 1983 Leonie Lane (artist) Wollongong City Gallery (client) Loan courtesy of University of Loan courtesy of University of and Matthew Feder Dewey Tafoya Women and arts festival, 1982 Wollongong Art Collection Wollongong Art Collection Hours Safety Helm' 1, 2016 colour screenprint Wollongong Women's Centre Donated through the Australian Donated through the Australian digital print Both Ways, 2016 (artist and printer) six stencils on thin white (client) colour screenprint from three Government's Cultural Gift Program Government's Cultural Gift Program by by Michael Callaghan Michael Callaghan Courtesy of the artist colour screenprint on paper Wendy Murray wove paper International Women's Day, stencils on thin white wove Prints available upon application Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy (artist and printer) Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art 1985 paper Gallery. Purchased with assistance and Matthew Feder Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Marie McMahon (artist) Johnny Bulunbulun (designer) The NSW government's 'After- Working Poor isn't Working for from the Visual Arts Board colour screenprint on paper Gallery. Purchased with assistance of the Australia Council, 1987 Peter Curtis (printer) Michael Callaghan Hours Safety Helm' 2, 2016 {A LONE MACHINE HUMS}, us!, 2017 from four stencils on thick white from the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council, 1987 National Campaign Against (designer and printer) digital print 2016 colour screenprint on 100gsm wove paper Drug Abuse (NCADA) (client) Ray Young (designer Courtesy of the artist colour screenprint on paper litho from three stencils Gregor Cullen Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Prints available upon application Empty kids, 1987 and printer) Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy Courtesy of the artist (designer and printer) Gallery. Purchased with assistance Michael Callaghan from the Visual Arts Board and Matthew Feder (designer and printer) screenprint, printed in colour, Ramingining Arts And Craft The NSW government's 'After- Combined Unions Against of the Australia Council, 1987 Redback Graphix Sharon Pusell (printer) from four stencils on thick white (client) Hours Safety Helm' 3, 2016 She Sells Dreams, 2016 Racism (client) Michael Callaghan Craig Donarski wove paper Ramingining prints, 1987 digital print colour screenprint on The workplace is no place Michael Callaghan (designer and printer) for Racism, 1985 (printer's assistant) Loan courtesy of University of colour screenprint, Courtesy of the artist archival paper (designer and printer) Wollongong Art Collection Prints available upon application Donated through the Australian from five stencils on thin Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy Ray Young colour screenprint from Gregor Cullen Wollongong Out Of Workers Government's Cultural Gift Program and Matthew Feder white wove paper (designer and printer) six stencils on thin white (designer and printer) Union (client) by Michael Callaghan Blak Douglas Central Australian Aboriginal wove paper Raise the dole dance, 1984 Loan courtesy of University of Push Pull, 2016 Stephen Grace (printer) Wollongong Art Collection Manolopy, 2016 Media Association (CAAMA) Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Oscar Duardo (printer) colour screenprint from four Michael Callaghan (designer) colour screenprint on paper Gallery. Purchased with assistance digital print on archival (client) stencils on thin wove paper Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy from the Visual Arts Board Richard Duardo (facilitator) Steven Lees (designer) Marie McMahon cotton rag and Matthew Feder The 8 Kin Network, 1985 of the Australia Council, 1987 Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Chicano Cultural Coalition, Los Gallery. Purchased with assistance Paul Cockram (film planner) (designer and printer) Courtesy of the artist colour screenprint from six Prints available upon application Angeles (client) from the Visual Arts Board Peter Curtis (printer) Pay the rent: You are on Red Hot, 2016 LeonieLane (designer) of the Australia Council, 1987 stencils on thin white wove paper Legal/Illegal, 1984 National Campaign Against Aboriginal land, 1981 colour screenprint on paper Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Ray Young (printer) Mini Graff colour screenprint on paper Drug Abuse (NCADA) (client) Edition #2, 1982 Tin Sheds Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy Gallery. Purchased with assistance Artists for Peace and People For Ray Young This is Street Art, 2016 and Matthew Feder from the Visual Arts Board of the from five stencils on thin white Condoman says: Use Frenchies!, (Sydney University Art Australia Council, 1987 Nuclear Disarmament (client) (designer and printer) colour screenprint on 90gsm wover paper 1987 Workshop) Go Blotto!, 1984 Remote Area Media (client) litho (from 3 stencils) The Space In Oblivion, 2016 Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art colour screenprint, colour screenprint on paper – Alison Alder colour screenprint on paper Gallery. Purchased with assistance Remote Area Media, 1984 Courtesy of the artist colour screenprint on paper from the Visual Arts Board from four stencils on thin white oil based colour inks (artist and printer) from fiver stencils on thick colour screenprint from Mini Graff Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy of the Australia Council, 1987 wove paper Courtesy of the artist and Matthew Feder K.C.C. Women's Auxiliary (client) white wove paper eight stencils on thin white Please enquire with front of house staff Loan courtesy of University of regarding the purchase of Redback K.C.C. Women’s Auxilary and Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Michael Callaghan wove paper Wollongong Art Collection Gallery. Purchased with assistance Gregor Cullen Graphix prints. Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Donated through the Australian Night Works, 2016 Jobs for Women, 1985 from the Visual Arts Board (designer and printer) Gallery. Purchased with assistance Government's Cultural Gift Program (designer and printer) colour screenprint from four of the Australia Council, 1987 by Michael Callaghan Broke, 2016 colour screenprint on paper Gregor Cullen from the Visual Arts Board Gregor Cullen (printer) of the Australia Council, 1987 colour screenprint on 90gsm Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy stencils on thin wove paper (designer and printer) and Matthew Feder Wollongong City Gallery (client) Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Sharon Pusell Marie McMahon (designer) litho (from 3 stencils) Migrant Resource Centre Fresh Blood, 1983 Gallery. Purchased with assistance (designer and printer) Michael Callaghan Michael Callaghan (designer) Courtesy of the artist from the Visual Arts Board (client) colour screenprint on thin white ZAP of the Australia Council, 1987 Illawarra Community (designer and printer) Paul Cockram (film planner) Please enquire with front of house staff Migrant Resource Centre party, wove paper regarding the purchase of Redback New World Order, 2017 Housing Trust (client) Nick Southall Ann Stephen (research) Graphix prints. 1983 aerosol stencil on paper Gregor Cullen Housing problems?, 1985 (printers assistant) Peter Curtis (printer) Courtesy of the artist colour screenprint from nine Revolver Posters Mark your Mark, 2015 (designer and printer) colour screenprint from five Wollongong Out Of Workers Ray Young (printer) stencils on thin white wove paper Jim Muir (designer and printer), stencils on thin white wove paper Union (client) colour screenprint on 90gsm Miners Federation (client) Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Australian Council of Trade CAMO Dennis Kennedy litho (from 4 stencils) Big Australian Destroys Jobs, Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Gallery. Gallery. Purchased with assistance WOW dance, 1985 Unions (ACTU) (client) Urban Explorer's, 2015 Gift of Gregor Cullen, 1991 from the Visual Arts Board (printers assistant), Courtesy of the artist 1981 of the Australia Council, 1987 colour screenprint on paper May Day – Workers of the aerosol stencil on paper Sharon Pusell colour screenprint on thin white from two stencils on thin world unite!, 1986 Ordered Disorder, 2016 Courtesy of the artist Michael Callaghan (printers assistant). wove paper Michael Callaghan and others white wove paper colour screenprint, from colour screenprint on 90gsm (designer and printer) How do you get a head Paper Thin Protection, 2015 Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art Gallery. (designers and printers) Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art five stencils on thin white litho (from 3 stencils) Steel City Pictures (client) Gallery. Purchased with assistance on the dole?, 1984 aerosol stencil on paper Gift of Gregor Cullen, 1991 Queensland Film and Drama from the Visual Arts Board wove paper Courtesy of the artist If the Unemployed are colour screenprint on paper Courtesy of the artist CAMO Centre (client) of the Australia Council, 1987 Loan courtesy of University of Dole Bludgers, what the Wollongong Art Collection Loan courtesy of Wollongong Art P.I.T.S Michael Callaghan Onward Christian soldiers, 1979 Gallery. Purchased with assistance Society, 2012 fuck are the idle rich?, 1979 Michael Callaghan (designer) from the Visual Arts Board (designer and printer) colour screenprint on paper Stop, 2016 aerosol stencil on paper colour screenprint on paper Paul Cockram (film planner) Michael Callaghan (designer) of the Australia Council, 1987" Gregor Cullen from four stencils on thin white colour screenprint on paper Courtesy of the artist from five stencils on thin white P&R Screen Printing PTY LTD Paul Cockram (film planner) (designer and printer) wove paper Loan courtesy of P.I.T.S, Sarah Murphy Printcraft PTY LTD (printer) and Matthew Feder Society (Repeat), 2012 wove paper (printer) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Curators Assistant Technical Producers We gratefully acknowledge the generosity Stuart Bailey Sean Falconer of Wollongong Art Gallery, Wollongong Wendy Murray David Langosch University Gallery and Marie McMahon for loaning artworks for the exhibition. Casula Powerhouse Project Producer Public Programs Team Roy Marchant This project has been generously supported by Sydney College of the Arts, Director Education & Public Programs the University of Sydney. Craig Donarski Officers Cayn Rosmarin Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Assistant Director Dianne McClaughlin Sydney College of the Arts gratefully Nikita Karvounis acknowledges the contribution of the Marketing Officer artists and their agents for permission Acting Curator Hamish Ta-mé to reproduce their images. Copyright Lizzy Marshall of individual images and texts is Marketing Assistant retained by the artists and authors Curatorial Assistant Cara Lopez (including moral rights). Brittany D’Chong Administration Coordinator Editor: Dr Stuart Bailey Acting Registrar Koby Hollingworth Designer: Katie Sorrenson Megan Hillyer Front cover image: Incorporates Administrative Assistant design elements by Gregor Cullen Acting Assistant Registrar Lisa Bowen Back cover image: Alice O’Brien Broke, 2016 Mini Graff Technical Producer screenprint from 3 stencils on 90gsm Leigh Perrett litho paper 1000 x 700mm Installation photography: Hamish Ta-mé

ISBN: 978-1-921558-18-4

The authors acknowledge and pay respects to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional owners of this place we now call Sydney. Sovereignty was never ceded.

Sydney College of the Arts