Caricaturing the real character of our pollies

Behind the Lines
National Museum of Australia, Canberra, until June 13
Constitutional Centre of WA, Perth, July 1 to August 31
Free admission

REVIEW BY ANA HANSON

Whether it be three embellished warmongering leaders pitched against an intense battle scene, or a quirky cartoon of federal treasurer Peter Costello — dummy in mouth — there's something to appeal to all tastes at Behind the Lines.

In its eighth year, Behind the Lines is a compilation of the top 80 entries from the National Museum of Australia's Australian Political Humour Competition. The competition has been running for eight years and the exhibit is a fresh and funny take on the year's politics. This year's artists include Alan Moir, Bill Leak, Judy Horacek, Ian Sharp and John Spooner as well as Chris Kelly and John Butcher (aka Jaybee), whose cartoons are regularly featured in Green Left Weekly.

From brilliantly rendered and detailed drawings to quick caricatures, the wide range of artists and styles keep the viewer awed and entertained. Major issues covered in the exhibition include war, former federal ALP leader Mark Latham's fall, the US-Australia free trade agreement, the ban on same-sex marriage, and logging in Tasmania. Admittedly, mostly mainstream issues made it into this exhibit. However the mood is fiercely critical of the status quo.

Political cartoons have the power to take what may be niggling at the back of many minds and oblige the viewer to take on the issue. The graphic commentary of many of these 80 cartoons is deeply evocative and compelling. Art is a valuable weapon. In cartooning this is enhanced — by being funny and eye-catching, one can be made to smile while seething with outrage. It is encouraging to know that while the content of the mainstream press tends to capitulate to the government's line of march, cartoonists in the mainstream and progressive press are showing up our politicians for what they really are.

From Green Left Weekly, June 1, 2005.

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From GLW issue 628