For ‘Hang us out to dry’, Wadawurrung artist Kait James sets the towels to wash, wringing the generalisation and stereotype of Indigenous culture out of Aboriginal-themed calendar tea towels from the 1970s and 1980s. Through embroidery, she subverts them with pop cultural references and Indigenous issues to mirror a contemporary perspective.
The textile works, executed with humour and employing vivid colours, address the way white western culture has dominated Australia’s history and how First Nations people are perceived, as well as James’ personal reflections on her Indigenous heritage.
Kait James, Annus horribilis, 2020, vintage tea towel, cotton. © the artist. Courtesy the artist and Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria
Art Gallery of Ballarat
22 May to 1 August 2021
Victoria
