Native / Citizen
Artist
Anne Zahalka
(born 1957)
Artist
Sue Saxon
(born 1960)
Date2003
Object number00039762
NameScreenprint
MediumLinen
DimensionsOverall: 455 x 445 mm
Display dimensions: 535 x 515 x 43 mm
Display dimensions: 535 x 515 x 43 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis handkerchief is one in a series of 20 works by artists Anne Zahalka and Sue Saxon called Displaced Persons. The 20 white cotton handkerchiefs - traditionally used to wave farewell and wipe away tears - provide the canvas for Zahalka and Saxon to explore their parents' migration from war torn Europe to Australia on SURRIENTO in 1950. Photographs, scraps of embroidery and family heirlooms are positioned in the centre of each handkerchief, while words stitched on opposite corners contrast the different dimensions of a migrant's physical and emotional journey.
Titled Native / Citizen, this handkerchief features a sepia print of an Australian 'Citizen Approval' letter issued to Vaclav Zahalka against the image of a hollow boab tree in Western Australia, which was once used to lock up Aboriginal offenders. The work questions whether the rights of citizenship can protect refugees from racism and intolerance in Australia.HistoryIn the aftermath of World War II, thousands of European migrants came to Australia as political refugees or displaced persons. Most arrived with few possessions and had to adjust to a new language, new customs and a new way of life.
In the Displaced Persons series, artists Anne Zahalka and Sue Saxon chronicle their parents' post-war migration journeys to Australia. The artists use scraps of embroidery, travel documents, photographs and family heirlooms to evoke the sense of alienation and homesickness their parents experienced.
Anne Zahalka's mother Hedy, a Jew, fled Austria in 1936 to escape the Nazis. In England she met and later married Vaclav Zahalka, a Czech fighting with the Allies. They returned to live in Prague after World War II, but escaped again following the Communist takeover in 1950.
Sue Saxon's father, Bandy Szasz, used false papers to survive the wartime occupation of Hungary by the Germans. Many of his family members were interned or perished in the Nazi concentration camps. The Szasz family's vineyards were confiscated by the Germans and then by the Communists.
Displaced from their homelands, the Zahalkas and Szaszs migrated to Australia on SURRIENTO in 1950. SURRIENTO was bought by the Flotto Lauro Line in 1948 and was the line's first passenger-only ship. Originally named SANTA MARIA, the ship was built in 1928 as a cargo vessel for the Grace Steamship Company of New York. SURRIENTO operated on the Italy-Australia passenger route until 1958. It then operated on the Central American emigrant route for two years before resuming passenger transport to Australia from 1953 until 1956.SignificanceExploring themes of persecution, dislocation, homesickness, hope and confusion, this work by Anne Zahalka and Sue Saxon captures the experiences of many refugees, migrants and displaced persons.