Abstract
In Australia, Royal Commissions are seen as a powerful forum for truth-telling about , and investigation into significant issues of social injustice. Drawing on the logic of a reparative aesthetic – an approach to art making designed to hold the viewer’s attention and strengthen engagement with the subject matter through beauty and sensitivity – the textile artworks discussed in this paper (and created by the author) consider how artistic responses to commissions of inquiry can act as a platform for continuing conversations around difficult and complex social issues. Can they deliver a new way of seeing, knowing and understanding the issues examined in complex and lengthy investigative processes? Drawing largely on victim and survivor testimony, the created artworks seek to amplify the voices of those who courageously tell their stories, with the artist acting as a (distanced) but sympathetic witness to the trauma. This paper focuses on three key arguments: that art, using a reparative aesthetic can effectively respond to and facilitate ongoing discussion around social injustice; that textile art is a compelling and underutilised medium in this regard; and that the use of beauty is a legitimate entry point into the genre of socio-political art. Artworks relating to three Australian commissions of inquiry form the basis of this paper: the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety; the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse; and the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
Presenters
Kerry MartinVisiting Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Visual Art, Textile Art, Reparative Aesthetic, Witnessing, Socio-political Art, Beauty
