Terra Nullius (Teaching Aid) As Far As The Eye Can See
1993
Medium
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Measurements
176.0 × 414.0 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Nellie Castan in memory of Ron Castan through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, 2018
© The Estate of Gordon Bennett
Gallery location
Gallery 10
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
Gordon Bennett critiques historical narratives of exploration, colonisation and settlement that failed to recognise the sovereign rights of Australia’s First Peoples. Terra nullius, a Latin term that translates literally as ‘empty land’ or ‘nobody’s land’, is an idea that Bennett addresses in several of his works. When James Cook sailed into Kamay/Botany Bay on 28 April 1770, he declared Australia to be terra nullius and claimed the land for Britain. Cook’s proclamation failed to recognise the fact that hundreds of distinct groups of Indigenous people occupied the land.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Brisbane, Queensland
Inscription
inscribed in pencil on reverse u.l.: G Bennett FIN APPROX / 7-1-1993 “TERRA NULLIUS (TEACHING AID) / AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE” 1993 / BIG (in a rectangle) 175 x 414 cms / Acrylic oN Canvas / “Figure II (TERRA NULLIUS) AS FAR (crossed out) / AS THE EYE CAN SEE: TEACHING AID” (crossed out) DUMB (left pointing arrow) / “TEACHING AID (TERA NULLIUS) (crossed out) / AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE” (crossed out)
Accession Number
2018.1042
Department
Contemporary Art