Representing indigenous soldiers at the Australian War Memorial: a political analysis of the art exhibition For Country, For Nation

Abstract

The article examines the latest exhibition commemorating Indigenous soldiers produced by the Australian War Memorial titled For Country, For Nation. It suggests that the exhibited material maps and visualises a neglected aspect of Indigenous history and as such expresses Indigenous resurgence and sovereignty. And yet, these artworks are not outside of colonial structures of power. While the article views the artworks of For Country, For Nation as an expression of Indigenous visual sovereignty, it also examines how they operate within setter colonial mentalities that disavow Indigenous sovereignty to legitimise settler authority. The Australian War Memorial operates in this order by refusing to commemorate the Frontier Wars. The article argues that despite the inclusion of Indigenous soldiers in official war commemorations is a sign of Indigenous recognition, as long as the Memorial refuses to include the Frontier Wars, this recognition legitimises colonial authority and contributes to ongoing settler colonialism.