Art and the Long Finger of the Law

The story of settler colonialism in Australia is a story of police power (the disciplinary systems and techniques used to enforce social order, extending well beyond law enforcement itself). Contemporary art is one site where histories of policing and incarceration are examined, represented and contested. Drawing on their forthcoming book The Long Finger of the Law: Contemporary Art and Police Power in Australia, Andrew Brooks and Astrid Lorange will trace the history of policing and incarceration in Australia through contemporary art that documents, critiques and resists police power, making visible its long reach into everyday life. The talk will be followed by a screening of Karrabing Film Collective’s Day in the Life (2020). Free event. Booking essential.