HMAS KANIMBLA returning from the Persian Gulf

Artist Gina Sinozich (1930 - 2020)

Date2003

Object number00038299

NamePainting

MediumAcrylic paint on board MDF board

DimensionsOverall: 610 x 910 x 15 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionHMAS KANIMBLA is shown arriving in Sydney Harbour after its return voyage from the Persian Gulf. Then Prime Minister John Howard, his wife and then leader of the opposition Simon Crean are depicted alongside the family of navy personnel, who greet the ship as it arrives. Prime Minister Howard has been portrayed in a mocking light wearing a pair of red polka dot boxer shorts while his wife carries his trousers behind him.HistoryGina Sinozich began painting in 2000, when she was 70 years old. In 2009 she continues to paint full-time at her home in south-western Sydney. In 2003 Gina completed 24 paintings related to the war in Iraq, drawing inspiration from media coverage in newspapers and on television. Her paintings include scenes of Iraqi's queuing for petrol and food, hospitals filled with the sick and the injured, and the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein. The pain of war is a particularly personal subject for Gina who experienced conflict in Yugoslavia during World War II and in the years following when she fled Australia with her family as a Croatian refugee in 1957. In 1956 Gina Sinozich fled her home in Istria, Croatia with her husband and two children Michael and Jenny to start a new life. Their decision to leave was made because of the difficult conditions for families living in post war Croatia. As part of the newly formed Communist Republic of Yugoslavia, many Croatians feared for their safety and experienced hunger and poverty under the tight control of Marshall Josep Tito. After secretly travelling overland to Italy the Sinozich family lived in a refugee camp for 18 months until they were granted a migration ticket and the choice to move to either Canada or Australia. With only three small suitcases between the family of four, they chose Australia. SignificanceThis painting represents artist Gina Sinozich's opinion about the events surrounding the return of HMAS KANIMBLA to Australia from the Persian Gulf and provides an insight into the political and social climate in Australia at the time.