In Hayley Miller-Baker’s portrait of her sister Ashleigh, the blue-eyed beauty gazes at the viewer like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
Her face and blond hair have been blackened and tiny black typeface above her head reads: “Not being racist or anything, but you’re too white to take offence”.
It’s one of a series of portraits collectively called
Dem Cheeky Bulls that tackles everyday racism Aboriginal people are faced with, says the Sunshine artist, who is a Koorie woman.
And it’s just been named a finalist in Wyndham council’s annual art prize, putting it in the running for $10,000 in prize money.
As with each piece in the series, to produce “Ashleigh” Miller-Baker asked her sister to think of something someone had said to her that had stuck; a remark that didn’t mean to offend, but did.
“So for this particular work, that’s my sister, and she was in class at VU,” Miller-Baker said.
“She was the only Aboriginal in there – and one of the ladies in the class said, ‘I’m not being racist but you’re too white to take offence’ after discussing aboriginal issues and racism.”
Miller-Baker says she’s always asked the same questions when people learn she’s Aboriginal; “What percentage [of Aboriginal] are you? Do you like the smell of petrol? And, ‘you’re really pretty for an Aboriginal’.”
Ashleigh will be on display with 89 other works at the Wyndham Art Gallery, Watton Street, Werribee, from April 6 until June 11.
