Shore of certain happiness : 1788-2012

Sydney : Gwen Harrison and Sue Anderson, 2012. Quarto (370mm tall), full stained kangaroo with goat spine, pp. [50], comprised of multi-plate sugar-lift and aquatint etched plates, hand-finished with paint, with letterpress text, presented in a clamshell box. Limited to 6 copies signed by the artist.

“This artwork comprises a series of prints and a variety of texts including reflections from historical and contemporary writers that explore the silencing of the marginalised: from the oppression of Indigenous Australians, to the exploitation of the English and Irish convicts, to the dehumanisation of asylum seekers. In this work the artists seek to represent the way in which minority groups have been and still are denied their right to a voice. This ‘Australian way’ sits uncomfortably with our popular self-image and diminishes the strength and validity of our democratic society.” – Lessons in History, Vol. II : Democracy (Grahame Galleries, 2012), p. 7.

A significant politically oriented contemporary Australian artist’s book.

Two copies held in Australian collections (National Library of Australia; State Library of New South Wales).