Drew believes that many white Australians actually feel alienated from the word Aussie “because they struggle to reconcile the moral and ethical inconsistencies in Australia’s history”.
“And their desire to reimagine the word Aussie is as much about renewing their own sense of belonging as it is about offering that sense of belonging to immigrants,” he says. “The posters promise to reinvent the word Aussie, offering a renewed connection to that word and the community it implies.”
Loading
When Drew saw his work ripped down last month, it was the first time he had ever seen such an extreme reaction in person, though he does get some negative reaction online.
Conscious that social media can be an echo chamber, Drew has invited “people from the other side” – those who are anti-immigration – to contact him to explain why they believe what they do. He has promised to respond and engage in conversation, potentially to create art based on what he hears.
“A large part of the artwork is talking to people and explaining where I’m coming from and trying to help the other side not to see me in simplistic terms, not as someone who is shaking my finger at them and talking down to them,” Drew says. “I’ll be responding to that and trying to do it in a way that challenges my audience and reaches out to the other side a bit.
“If you can separate the racist people from those who have legitimate concerns about how immigration is affecting their life, I think then you can have a discussion that doesn’t demonise the immigrant.”
Khazoon Coory is featured on one of the latest Aussie posters.Credit: Peter Drew
Nuance and subtlety is often lost in discussions of these issues, Drew says. “It’s happening globally, with the centre being hollowed out, each side plays to their base.”
The Aussie posters are a project “that gives me a sense of meaning”, he says. Each January, he sends them to school teachers to use as tools, to help students explore issues of identity.
Many of the posters are held in galleries around the country, including the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW.
Between the start of the project in 2016 and now, Drew and his wife, Julie White, have had two children. He will travel to put up the posters around the country in fits and bursts rather than being away from home for extended periods of time, starting in Adelaide, then moving on to Melbourne in January, and after that, Sydney and beyond.
The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.