[artbooks] Fw: fyi

Judy Watson
under the act, 2007



Judy Watson’s new artist’s book under the act (2007) made its debut as a 
work in progress in Lessons in History Vol 1, an exhibition of artists’ 
books looking at history and the lessons of history, held at grahame 
galleries + editions in March/April 2007.

As with the artist’s first artist’s book, a preponderance of aboriginal 
blood (2005), which deals with aboriginal people’s Right to Vote, Judy 
Watson has drawn on letters, papers and official documents found in the 
Queensland State Archives as well as personal family photographs as a base 
for under the act. The documents from the archives this time, however, 
pertain to her great-grandmother and grandmother who lived under the 
Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of Sale of Opium Acts of 1897. They 
also reveal the categories, “full blood”, “half-cast”, “quadroon”, 
“octeroon”, ascribed to aboriginal people of the day.

Using etching and lithographic techniques this work makes a powerful 
statement about life Under the Act. Amongst documents from the archives 
used in the book is Watson’s great grandmother’s ‘exemption card’. These 
cards allowed holders to live and work outside the reservations, and were 
called ‘dog tags’ by their holders, as they were obliged to carry them on 
their person at all times. Also included are letters of objection from 
various parties to authorities at the time Watson’s aboriginal grandmother 
and white grandfather were seeking permission to marry.

In documenting her family’s life in under the act, Watson etches the 
history of all Aboriginal people who lived Under the Act.

Twenty etchings with chine collé, 42 x 30.5 cm in folio 43 x 32 cm 
(closed) 71.3 x 99.2 cm (open). numero uno publications in an edition of 
20 plus 5 a/p. To be released in October 2007. Pre-publication $15,000
Judy Watson
a preponderance of aboriginal blood, 2005
At first the artist declined the commission by the State Library of 
Queensland in 2005 to produce an artist’s book to celebrate the Queensland 
Centenary of Women’s Suffrage and Forty Years Aboriginal Suffrage. But 
when she heard Loris Williams, former Archivist, Community and Personal 
Histories Section of the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait 
Islander Policy, use the term, ‘a preponderance of aboriginal blood’, in a 
lecture at the University of Queensland, she felt compelled to undertake 
the commission to celebrate Forty Years Aboriginal Suffrage.
The artist’s aboriginal Grandmother, Grace Isaacson, was born on 
Riversleigh Station in North West Queensland in 1912. Watson says, “Being 
with family, talking with my Grandmother, absorbing her memories, gaining 
an insight into her life and the way she sees the land, being shown 
bushfoods and sites is some of my major research as an Indigenous visual 
artist. The strength of these experiences sustains me and is the 
touchstone for my work.”
In a preponderance of aboriginal blood copies of original documents from 
the State Archives are presented simply. They are photocopied onto thin 
paper, and, using chine collé, are overlaid with etched images of blood. 
The artist states that because the material from the archives already has 
a latent power she didn’t want to change very much and that its leakage 
onto the page was enough.
Watson says, “I view this material with a deep, personal hurt for my 
family and for all Aboriginal people.” a preponderance of aboriginal blood 
is dedicated to Loris Williams. Signed and numbered16 pp, 42 x 32.5 cm in 
folio 43 x 32 cm (closed) 71.3 x 99.2 cm (open). numero uno plublications 
in an editions of 5 plus a/p. $7,700

Available from Grahame Galleries & Editions 
http://www.grahamegalleries.com



This message and any attachment is intended only for the use of the Addressee and may contain information that is PRIVILEGED and CONFIDENTIAL If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please delete all copies of the message and its attachments and notify the sender immediately. Thank you.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.collectionsaustralia.net/pipermail/artbooks/attachments/20071101/5fb75a17/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 7857 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.collectionsaustralia.net/pipermail/artbooks/attachments/20071101/5fb75a17/attachment.jpe