Andrew Hill is an artist, designer, print maker and art teacher born in 1952

in Adelaide, South Australia. Hills art revolves mainly around

Multiculturalism to do with Indigenous Australians. His preference for
multiculturalism in art may have been greatly influenced by his childhood
and adolescent years. At a young age, multiculturalism was beginning to
stir in the world around Hill. This involved Robert Menzies Commonwealth
Electoral Act that provided Indigenous the right to enrol to vote in federal
elections in certain states in 1962 and later in 1967, the changing of
constitution for the inclusion of aboriginals in the population count. These
two events were both significant as they recognised the aboriginals as
citizens of Australian in contrast to the original view of them being no
better than cattle and uncivilised. These events during Hills early life
would have influenced his art and molded his views and ideals. Later, in
his twenties, Hill watched multiculturalism rise, with the White Australian
Policy officially dismantled and the doors to multiculturalism officially
opened. Despite this, multiculturalism had yet to be fully accepted. In
1975, Gough Whitlam introduce the Aboriginal Land Bill in Parliament,
proposing land rights for their traditional owners closely followed by the
granting of the freehold title on lad in central Australia to an aboriginal
tribe in 1985. The various indigenous rights movements and their lack of
acceptance from the public in his lifetime compelled Hill to devote himself
to multicultural art focusing on aboriginals.

Devolution is an artwork made by Andrew Hill in 1992, through this

artwork he promotes the postmodern concepts of multiculturalism, hoping
to raise awareness for Indigenous rights. The artwork Devolution also
reflects the social and cultural conditions of Hills world. During the time of
his artwork, despite the slow acceptance building for aboriginals and their
rights, there were still many issues yet to be dealt with. In the year this
artwork was created, The High Court delivered the Mabo Decision, which
rules that the indigenous native titles does exist, holding a legislation that
was contrary to the Racial Discrimination Act. Devolution is Hills response
to this case as a multiculturalist artist, reflecting his beliefs that
Indigenous rights and respect may have in fact devolved rather than
improved. He may also be referring to their treatment having devolved
from before Australia was named a British colony and the arrival of the
first fleet. Devolution, the contrast between the aboriginal and British man
is extremely obvious. This reflects the great contrasting treatment
received by the two races that were evident in the community at that
time. It was also a topic not commonly debated from both perspectives.
Therefore Hill found they need to create Devolution in order to raise
awareness and create emphasis in the mistreatment and injustice.

Hills artwork devolution was very straight forward in what it wanted to

present to the audience and the points it was attempting to raise. This is
due to the simplicity of the artwork, having only three focal points that
join together to show a very obvious overall concept. Though the audience
at this time would have viewed it in different ranges of depth and
seriousness, the general message was impossible to miss. Through the
two characters presented on the page, their contrast and the text below
them, any level of audience could identify that treatment and relationship
between the two parties had devolved. Students such of as myself have
all being educated to some degree about aboriginals, the loss of their
territories and their mistreatment in some sort of lesson at school. Thus it
is easy for me to pick up the message of the artwork despite the different
time frame. However, this artwork is no longer as relevant since Kevin
Rudds sorry day speech in 2008 that seemed to repair the relationships
between the two parties to some extent. Furthermore, since the 90s,
Australia has become even more multicultural and children are all being
educated against racial discrimination, learning from an early age, that all
races are equal as well as the history of the indigenous Australians and
their fight for rights. Nonetheless, there is no denying that there is still
some degree of racism in our society yet to be abolished. Thence, the
artwork Devolution serves as a reminder to the racial discrimination we
still work to remove from our society.

Patricia Watwood was born 1971 in St Louis, Missouri to Dr Kenneth R. Smith

Jr, the youngest of his seven children. Sometime in her life, she earned her
BFA n a theatre design from Trinity University in San Antonio and her MFA in
Painting from New York Academy of art. Watwood is known to be a leading
figure in the contemporary classical movement. Despite having being known
for and focused on her original style of combining modern colour palette with
academic draftsmen ship and traditional painting techniques contemporary
classism, in recent years, she has turned to explore Contemporary American
Realism and New Realism. Watwood states, Formal training is the
indispensable underpinning of my practice. I seek to follow and build upon
the artistic intelligence and traditions of the past, and bring them anew to my
own generation. Believing that painting recognisable objects is the common
visual language between the audience and artist, she paints through the
worlds of mythology, allegory, and contemporary human life.