Discuss the following: This represents the message of scars last generations, his eyes are the picture/lens to understanding this.
Ricky uses a film camera to shoot this photo, the technique and style is interesting and helps to promote this piece beyond just a simple piece of paper. A photo needs to have meaning to be considered special.
The work is about the scars shown in his eyes, fear is great when their was a constant threat and even after the threat is gone their still uneasiness. Fear without threat is really problematic and money can’t change that. The first step was the apology which came from Kevin Rudd this was the first step. Changing a national anthem really has achieved anything since indigenous heritage is still being destroy although this time not for colonial reason but just for profit. The continued way that our country shrugs off these issues has caused a lack of looking into these places around Australia that are most indigenous. Indigenous men have the higher death rates of anyone else around the whole world. Australia’s higher suicide rates are the work of scars from the past. Scars have also led hundreds of indigenous to turn to the bottle and alcoholism is on the rise.
The photo has cohesion through the fact that eyes and the rest of the face all shows wear and pain in this man’s life. He probably did hard work and then was also suffering from scars of the past. This man shows the torture of the indigenous population by the Australian government and the fact that they really didn’t receive proper respect until Gough Whitlam came along.
Munro, K n.d., Ricky Maynard, Sydney
“Untitled, from No More Than What You See” 1993
Discuss the following: I choose this piece because of it’s framing show an aboriginal man in a room with a white woman on the outside.
Since the photo was taken in 1993 it is most likely to have been taken with a film camera and which is normally what Mr Maynard used.
The photo addresses the problems that are caused by prison systems, especially when it comes to the fact a huge rate of aboriginal are in prison and that in many places around Australia are still very intolerant towards aboriginals. In the Northern Territory there is very interesting culture of drug use and alcoholism. This is again because the fact of scars many thousands of aboriginal children were taken from their home and were brought into so called white society.
The photo even when not being presented as a social piece the photo since has tonnes of symbolism. The photo can represent injustice of any kind especially in the west since normally the white population is bigger. Australia still has many problems the Aboriginals are just the tip of the iceberg there is the many stuck on Manis's island.
Maynard’s work is cohesion as it points out the fact that he fought and fights for aboriginal rights and reconciliation, which he has done for decade, it’s a shame that it took this long for reconciliation to start being achieve.
Munro, K n.d., Ricky Maynard, Sydney
Artwork Title: “Returning To Places That Name Us”
The photo is in greyscale which really works since the photo is well pictured for its simplicity. The sunglasses add an element of cohesion with the rest of the face shape. The background is complete gone which also adds to the photo to the idea of the main part of the photo is the bloke in the foreground.
This bloke looks old and worn down and is evidence of an older time in Australian history. From his grey hair beard, he looks worn out and he probably isn’t that old, but scars don’t fade. The fact that his eyes are hide must many that something must have happened to them or may he is hiding true emotion behind the sunglasses.
Ricky Maynard is renounced for his activism about aboriginal rights and is trying to show the horrors of Australia for the native people.