ARCHIE MOORE
Swamped by ... communists, Asians, students, the Japanese, migrant communities and the more articulate Aboriginals, 2019 | in Just Not Australian, at Artspace, Sydney

Hansard parliamentary records from the 1950s to 2000s, including the maiden speech from anti-immigration politician, Pauline Hanson, are transformed into delicate sculptural objects. While perusing hundreds of these documents, Moore noticed politicians' repeated use of the phrase "swamped by" deployed to refer to, as the work's title states, 'communists, Asians, students, the Japanese, migrant communities and the more articulate Aboriginals' and other perceived threats to the nation over the years. Most recently used as an exclusionary tactic against asylum seekers, the sensationalist politics of fear is brought to light as an enduring part of Australia's political history.

extract from Artspace, Sydney, exhibtion wall text