Aboriginal Anarchy Postcard

I wanted to reference the flag as a national symbol and [its] social, political functions. How a flag can unite a people but also threaten too, whether you identify with that flag or not. Also, the notion in some circles that ‘Aboriginal people’ are one people: one dimensional. Maybe this stems from before we gained human status, when we were under the ‘flora and fauna’ umbrella.

– Archie Moore, 2012

The Aboriginal flag features a central yellow disc set against black-and-red horizontal bands. The yellow symbolises the sun, the black represents Aboriginal people and red the earth, or relationship to the land. Archie Moore has created 10 renditions of the flag, delicately constructed from layers of acrylic paint, each with the central disc substituted with a different symbol. This version here features the iconic symbol of anarchy: the letter A in a circle. This powerful motif draws attention to the role of state policy in shaping the lives of Aboriginal people, as well as their ongoing resistance. By creating multiple versions of the Aboriginal flag, Moore interrogates its legacy as a pan-Aboriginal symbol.

12.8 x 16.7cm

Archie Moore
Kamilaroi/Bigambul peoples
Aboriginal Anarchy 2012
layered synthetic polymer paint
National Gallery of Australia, purchased 2013. Acquired in recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum
© Archie Moore and The Commercial Gallery