The Collected
2010
Medium
glass, wooden boxes, transparent synthetic polymer resin, metal
Measurements
(a-b) 10.9 × 15.6 × 24.6 cm (overall) (small box)
(c-d) 7.4 × 30.7 × 27.5 cm (overall) (medium box)
(e-f) 13.1 × 33.5 × 27.0 cm (overall) (large box)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Supporters of Indigenous Art, 2011
© Yhonnie Scarce, courtesy Dianne Tanzer Gallery. Photo: courtesy the artist and dianne tanzer gallery + projects
Gallery location
Gallery 8
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
‘The collected depicts scientific analysis of Aboriginal people, subjected to scrutiny in life and death. Their graves were robbed during settlement and their bodies dissected for ‘scientific’ research. Once complete, numerous bones were stored in museums around the world. I have utilised the traditional long yams as a metaphoric tool for body parts that have been stored in containers, often used by museums to display collected items.’ – Yhonnie Scarce, 2011
Born in Woomera, South Australia, Scarce’s practice circulates themes of death, destruction and memorial, often regarding historical sites of atomic testing that took place near her home town. This work demonstrates the dehumanisation of First Nations peoples through the lens of science, as well as the ongoing trauma colonisation has brought to families and communities.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Melbourne, Victoria
Accession Number
2011.355.a-f
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation