I didn't vote for this
It is rarely assumed that “the people” don’t actually exist. Under this assumption, representing the people is not a passive task of portrayal or depiction but rather an act of invention, craft, and artfulness. I didn’t vote for this turns to the conflictual desire to produce a visual representation of “the people.”
The exhibition includes works that in differing ways seek to present an image of the people, be it in the protest culture of the early 80s and 90s or the self-design of far-right populist Pauline Hanson, who has fashioned herself into a particular vision of the “everyday Australian”—a carefully crafted “I am not a politician” image, replete with racism and xenophobia.
Related Events:
Please join us for the opening of I didn’t vote for this, a group exhibition featuring works by Destiny Deacon, Helen Grace, Ruth Maddison and Amy Stuart with an accompanying commissioned text by Simon Hunt (aka ‘Pauline Pantsdown’).
99% | 6-8pm, Friday, 21 October 2022
Room 3, Level 7
37 Swanston St
The Nicholas Building
Melbourne 3000
In 1998, Simon Hunt’s satirical character Pauline Pantsdown countered the race-based politics of Pauline Hanson with audio cutup and performance, resulting in one banned song, one Top Ten hit, and a run for the Senate. 15 years later he revived the character on social media, utilising humour and visual memes to activate others in mass pranks and online/offline activism. This talk will examine political engagement across ever-changing media landscapes.
Simon Hunt is an artist and activist who has utilised music, performance and video across a range of creative projects. In the 1990s he enjoyed international success as a filmmaker, composer and sound designer, and lectured in Media Arts at UNSW from 1990–2020. He is best known for his satirical political character ‘Pauline Pantsdown’.
Politics +Concepts talk developed in partnership with ACCA and 99%.