Bardang/Release exhibited for the first time at Earlywork in November, 2017 to mark the end of the lease at the Rottnest Quod
Quod as prison: 1856 – 1903.
Quod as tourist accommodation: 1911 – 2018
The exhibition presents aspects of the three participants’ personal stories in coming to know and understand the history of Wadjemup/Rottnest Island and that of the Quod building which was built to intern Aboriginal men from all over Western Australia and where at least 370 men died, many due to the inhuman conditions of their incarceration.
Returning; 370+ views of Rottnest
Ken Wadrop
371 double-sided
oil paintings on plywood
2017
- Black Prison White Playground. Wadjemup/Rottnest Island. A beautiful place that is culturally and spiritually significant to Aboriginal people. And also a site where gross harm took place and hundreds of Aboriginal men are buried in unmarked graves.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-25/rottnest-island-black-prison-to-white-playground/7962940
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/rottnest-island-black-prison/7929860