Universal Soldier

Tony Albert, an artist of Girramay, Yidinji and Kuku Yalanji ancestry, creates new uses for collectibles with clichéd representations of Aboriginal people and culture. His particular focus is mid-twentieth-century ‘Aboriginalia’, popularly sold as souvenirs and homewares and used commonly to celebrate Australian identity. These romanticised depictions were produced at a time when Aboriginal people were being forced off Country, away from their homes.

Albert’s work Universal Soldier presents the silhouette of one soldier carrying another, the two figures made from souvenirs depicting Aboriginal people. The work incorporates a deeply personal perspective on the artist’s part, given that family members have more than eighty years of combined military service. As Albert notes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women have served in every Australian conflict since colonisation, yet have received little recognition.

Lisa Slade, Assistant Director, Artistic Programs