I have always been a fairly rare and unique artist in Australia who has not afraid of taking risks with political themes as my subject matter. I did this right through the 60’s. I executed a huge amount of protest work. I was also involved with Students for a Democratic Society or SDS. I was one of the only artists who was angry, empathetic and indignant enough to paint the shooting of students at Kent State University in the US in early 70’s by American Armed forces (see art work study from 1965-75, Fig 21;). This was a turning point for the 60’s student revolution across the planet. I, with many others, was a committed initiator, activist and sort of cultural warrior.

I’m sure that to regain some of our estranged humanity within the social system, we often have to rebel and remonstrate to stand upright against the estranging forces that push us down. These forces are as much ideological and psychological, as financial and social. They are all part of the cultural hegemony of oppression.

As Brecht once put it at the end of his life;

When I say what things is like-
Everyone’s heart-
Must be torn to shreds.
That you’ll go down
If you don’t stand up for yourself
Surely you see that!*.

This kind of realist ‘plain speaking’ of calling ‘things by their right name’ disappeared with Post-Modernism, as it became the new, conservative academy of cultural institutions across the earth and the ideological voice of late capitalist globalisation.