MATTHEW SLEETH
Curated by HELEN FRAJMAN
InterFET Santa, East Timor, 1999
TOUR OF DUTY is a series of photographs from East Timor that say very little about that country but a great deal about Australia. Given our military history as colonial canon fodder and our recent political collusion in East Timor’s occupation, Australia’s leadership role in the INTERFET mission should have been a key moment of national redemption. But the experience was anything but that – with the government, army and UN all desperate to turn the exercise into a huge PR opportunity. Rather than quietly focusing on correcting a situation we had contributed to, Australia seemed more interested in treating the Timorese as extras in a jingoistic movie of the week. From concerts they were not allowed to attend, to the distribution of Christmas teddy bears they had no use for. No one thought to ask the Timorese how they could best be helped – it was Australia to the rescue with Kylie Minogue and stuffed toys.
CCP – Centre for Contemporary Photography
205 Johnston Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065
8th March – 6th April 2002
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Saturday 11-5