It seemed the Archibald was all the fuss last week. Despite the mixed sentiment the event arouses within the arts community, I’ve always been interested. Within the three concurrent exhibitions – Archibald, Wynne and Sulman – Joan Ross’s Sulman Prize-winning entry, ‘Oh history, you lied to me’, was one of the works that deeply captivated me.
As a scathing, yet cheekily humorous criticism of Australian colonialism, ‘Oh history, you lied to me’ conveys a perspective that is complex and timely. History is positioned and personified as a turbulent past lover. It’s a simple yet powerful analogy, gesturing to the various agendas and power imbalances implicit in the creation of historical narratives. It’s one of those works where the longer you look, the more you see. I saw little birds drawn in pencil, I heard the paper cutting when I looked at the collaged elements and I imagined the artist smiling during certain moments of its creation.
