The State Library of NSW is staging the world’s largest exhibition dedicated to a forgotten chapter in Australia’s history, with 200 extraordinary artworks, sketchbooks and diaries from inside Australian internment camps now on show for the first time in Dunera: Stories of Internment.
The State Library has spent years collecting artwork and other material related to what is commonly referred to as the ‘Dunera’, named for the ship that brought more than 2,500 boys and men to Australian shores during the Second World War. These men who had fled Nazi persecution to Britain were suddenly classified as enemy aliens, and sent to camps in Hay, Orange and Tatura.
According to State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon: “The artworks and stories speak of humanity, of purpose, of creativity in the face of trauma, and adversity. It is a profoundly moving story.”
“Some of the collection has come to us from family members and personal archives, so this will be the first time they have ever been seen altogether.”
The exhibition recreates elements of the internment camps with evocative soundscapes, interactive displays and moving recorded testimonies.
Starting with the harrowing journey to Australia on the infamous Dunera, where they survived hellish conditions and two torpedo attacks, to the isolation and uncertainty of their new life behind barbed wire.
“The sheer beauty of many of the artworks is unexpected, given the environment in which they were created, but a surprising number of internees were highly trained or aspiring artists,” said the exhibition’s curator, Louise Anemaat.
Many of the internees whose work features in the exhibition went on to become famous in the art world, like Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, whose works are held by almost every major gallery in Australia and Erwin Fabian, one of Australia’s most significant sculptors.
Unknown internee, Tatura, 1942 by Robert Hofmann.
To combat boredom and recreate traces of their former lives, internees ran art classes, lectures in over 100 subjects, and theatrical performances, producing an impressive array of personal art and artefacts, including unofficial camp currency.
“Artists made use of everything they could to create the works, collecting materials from around camp, like boot polish and loose pieces of timber to make prints,” says Ms Anemaat.
“Their often bleak and raw works provide powerful insights into the trauma many internees experienced. They have the power to help us see what they saw, and as all good art does, make us feel what they felt.”
Dunera: Stories of Internment is a free exhibition at the State Library of NSW until May 4th next year. Opening hours: until 8pm Monday to Thursday, and 5pm Friday to Sunday.
