Lodwick Campbell
Tea-towel, “Queen Drops In: Lands Right,“ from the series “Aboriginal Heritage“
Australia, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra
1988
Cotton, print
Birgit Scheps (Curator for Australia) acquired this towel in 1989, during a study trip to Australia
Purchased by the museum from Scheps in 1991
Au 4237
The tea towel print “Queen Drops In: Lands Right“ is part of a series labeled “Aboriginal Heritage,“ created by Lodwick Campbell in 1988. The series supports the land rights campaign to protest Australia’s 200-year anniversary. This towel ironically comments on Queen Elizabeth II’s engagement for Indigenous land rights. Birgit Scheps, currently curator for Australia and the Pacific at Leipzig, acquired the tea towel during a study trip in 1989.
In 1988, Australia commemorated the 200-year anniversary of its founding as a British colony that later became the Federation of Australian States. However, the Indigenous population had no reason to celebrate, and used the “Bicentenary” to protest racism, injustice, and discrimination against First Australians, and, most importantly, to demand their traditional land rights.
For the first time, these protests also reached a wide international audience.
Birgit Scheps-Bretschneider