Michael Cook’s (Bidjara) Invasion series imagines an alternate version to Australia’s colonial history by speculating on what the world would look like if the roles of coloniser and colonised were reversed.
In these dystopian photo collages, we see images of alien creatures invading iconic London cityscapes – Aboriginal people as aliens, possums on UFOs, laser-shooting fembots, and clouds of rainbow lorikeets. Like scenes from a science fiction film, these creatures wreak havoc on London streets, mirroring the devastation of European colonisation on Aboriginal communities.
By offering an alternative history (or is it perhaps a potential future?) with a comedic and satirical lens, Michael pulls into question Australia’s colonial legacy and more broadly that of the colonial project endured by First Peoples’ communities around the globe.
Invasion
Location: Main Square
Courtesy of the artist, Jan Murphy Gallery and This Is No Fantasy
2017
Supported by Photo Australia & City of Melbourne
Fed Square and RISING present The Blak Infinite, co-curated by Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta) and Kate ten Buuren (Taungurung).