Sovereignty never ceded
2019
Medium
wool, cotton and felt on printed cotton
Measurements
74.6 × 45.7 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists, 2020
© Kait James
Gallery location
Gallery 1
Ground Level, NGV Australia
About this work
Kait James’s Sovereignty never ceded features the artist’s embroidery over the top of a vintage tea towel produced in 1980. Across the centre of the tea towel, James has embroidered the words ‘Sovereignty Never Ceded’ as well as a television and a bucket of fried chicken. The reworking of the original illustration shifts the power of the gaze. By placing a TV in front of the Aboriginal men who are seated in the centre of the image, there is now reason for the men to gather. At the same time, the work offers up a critique of Australian history that has positioned First Peoples as curiosities.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Melbourne, Victoria
Accession Number
2020.163
Department
First Nations Australia