A Palawa visual artist is asking for a collaborator to literally put their body on the line for an upcoming art installation.
Artist Nathan Maynard has put out a call for an Australian of British descent who is willing to donate their future deceased body for an art installation.
Through an advertisement posted on The Age, Maynard wrote that the installation will “speak to sacrifices for past sins perpetuated against the Palawa,” and that the applicant and their memory will be treated with the utmost respect at all stages of the project.
Speaking on the ABC, Maynard said the idea originally came from the idea of white virtue signaling and whether allies were willing to put their body on the line.
However, Maynard also wants to question the ethics of institutions housing Indigenous remains across the globe.
“I want to raise awareness to the thousands of First Nations remains that are overseas in museums and institutions that have been first off, murdered, cut up then dug up and sent to these institutions around the world without their consent and without their community’s consent,” he said.
Once completed the installation will be displayed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
In a statement, TMAG director Mary Mulcahy said Maynard’s work will be confrontational but will speak to “hurtful past practices, particularly the treatment of Tasmanian Aboriginal remains.”
“We believe it is an important part of our commitment to the apology and truth-telling,” she said.
Image Credit: Owen Allen
