Reframing History

By Sophie Gerhard, Curator, Australian and First Nations Art, NGV

This week we turn our attention to the entrenched Western, colonial frameworks that have shaped historical narratives in Australia since the in 1788. These narratives, constructed to legitimise the colonisers’ actions, have systematically erased, marginalised or distorted the experiences and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through the lens of art history, this week we will interrogate the mechanisms by which these distortions have been maintained, particularly in visual representations, foregrounding the necessity of re-centring Indigenous perspectives in the telling of Australia’s past.

Colonial artworks, such as those by John Glover (1767–1849), a pastoralist in Van Dieman’s Land (now Tasmania), exemplify how art has been used to support and perpetuate colonial ideologies. Glover’s depictions of the Australian landscape are not neutral representations; they are ideological constructs that align with the doctrine of , presenting the land as unoccupied and devoid of conflict, justifying settler occupation. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these images contributed to a broader cultural project that sought to naturalise the presence of settlers, while actively erasing the violence being inflicted upon Indigenous populations.

This is rendered in NGV’s The River Nile, Van Diemen’s Land, from Mr Glover’s farm, 1837 (pictured above), which sees First Nations people at peace in the landscape of lutruwita. However, in reality, by the mid 1830s colonial violence and government sanctions had wiped out the entire population of Aboriginal people living naturally on their lands in Tasmania. Glover’s romanticised vision of a serene landscape stands in stark contrast to the historical reality of massacres, dispossession and ongoing resistance by First Nations peoples, making clear how visual culture has been complicit in the suppression of Indigenous histories.

Through the material this week, we highlight the importance of confronting these historical omissions and distortions to reposition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at the centre of their own histories. We also challenge the dominant colonial narratives that have long shaped public and academic discourse. By examining the work of contemporary Indigenous artists, we explore how art can function as a powerful tool of resistance, truth-telling and historical revision.

Contemporary artists Yhonnie Scarce, Tony Albert, and Jonathon Jones are among the leading voices in the movement to rewrite and reclaim Indigenous histories through artistic practice. Scarce’s glass sculptures directly address the legacy of colonial violence and the impact of nuclear testing on Indigenous communities, forcing a confrontation with these obscured and uncomfortable truths. Albert critiques the colonial gaze, exposing the ways in which Indigenous peoples have been objectified, commodified and dehumanised in Western culture. His work challenges the viewer to reconsider their own role in perpetuating these harmful narratives.  Jones, through his installations and public art, brings Indigenous knowledge systems to the forefront, making visible the cultural erasure that has been a central strategy of colonial domination. His work reclaims spaces that have historically been sites of dispossession and reinserts Indigenous presence and sovereignty.

Through engaging with these artists, we not only examine the ways in which history has been constructed but also how it can be deconstructed and reframed. The focus here is not merely on representation, but on the active processes of archival intervention, reinterpretation and truth-telling. These practices demand a re-evaluation of what is considered ‘history’ and ‘truth’ in the context of Australian art and culture. The artists we will learn about this week provide a counter-narrative to the official histories that have long dominated, offering a more nuanced, inclusive and accurate account of Australia’s past.

The content this week encourages critical and assertive engagement with the art of history-making. It challenges you to interrogate the power dynamics inherent in historical narratives and to recognise the role of art in both reinforcing and subverting these narratives. Through a focused study of contemporary Indigenous art, we will explore how these artists reclaim agency over their own stories, disrupting the Western canon and restoring Indigenous voices to their rightful place at the centre of Australia’s historical discourse.