Real Australians Say Welcome
Date2015
Object number00055713
NamePoster
Mediumpaper
DimensionsOverall: 898 × 602 mm
Copyright© Peter Drew Arts
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection
DescriptionAdelaide street artist and activist Peter Drew's ‘Real Australians Say Welcome’ poster series was inspired by the oft-forgotten second verse of Australia’s national anthem, particularly the line ‘courage to combine’ – a sentiment that the artist notes seems to be strangely absent from Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers.HistorySince 2013, Adelaide street artist and activist Peter Drew has been installing his handmade posters in public space to raise awareness of issues around immigration, asylum seekers and Australian identity.
His campaign 'Real Australians Say Welcome' was launched in 2015 on a crowdfunding platform, where Drew aimed for funds to produce1,000 posters and to put them up on the streets of capital cities across Australia. He achieved this aim and the posters became popular on social media and in the press.
Peter Drew recounted one unexpected joy from the project where he recalled receiving an email showing a photo of a young man recently given citizenship in Australia, standing next to a poster. “It hadn’t occurred to me that the best outcome of this project was to let asylum seekers themselves know they are welcome.”
SignificanceSince 2013, Adelaide street artist and activist Peter Drew has been installing his handmade posters in public space to raise awareness of issues around immigration, asylum seekers and Australian identity. This poster provides a compelling reflection of the intersection between protest art, politics and national identity. It is a visually engaging, evocative example of poster art as protest art, and the emerging relationship between artists and activists in responding to Australia's changing immigration policies.
2018
