VIETNAM – ONE IN, ALL IN

VIETNAM – ONE IN, ALL IN presents a contemporary framework through which to acknowledge and honour Aboriginal military service in the Vietnam War – before, during and after. Located within a larger three-year project that has been devoted to sharing the untold stories of South Australia’s Aboriginal Veterans, the exhibition and final instalment, acts as a collective response to our current need to uncover and give voice to histories untold. With so many veterans of war remaining silent on their return, the absence of Indigenous voices in our military history, and the haze that still clouds Australia’s involvement in, and acknowledgement of, the Vietnam War, the exhibition is more important than ever.

The exhibition at its very heart is multi-layered and brings together ten selected Aboriginal artists – Allan Collins, Brad Darkson, Beaver Lennon, Hayley Millar-Baker, Clem Newchurch, Lavene Ngatokorua, Sandra Saunders, Damien Shen, James Tylor and Tony Wilson. Each artist was paired with an Aboriginal Veteran from South Australia who had served in Vietnam, and asked to creatively respond to their recorded interviews. An additional two artists, Major Sumner AM and Raymond Zada, were commissioned to create work that would act as a contemporary monument, and acknowledge the service of all of South Australia's Aboriginal Vietnam Veterans – both living and passed. Colleen Strangways was also commissioned to create a series of photographic portraits of the veterans whose stories feature in VIETNAM – ONE IN, ALL IN. 

With the aim to build greater recognition in the broader Australian community of our veterans’ sacrifices, an integral aspect of this project has been community consultation. The project team worked closely with our Anzac brains trust – Frank Lampard OAM, Bill Hignett OAM, and Ian Smith – who have guided and supported the project, assisted with research and connected us with veterans. From this process, ten Aboriginal veterans from South Australia and their family members willingly offered their involvement in the project; they gave up their time to meet with Creative Producer Lee-Ann Buckskin and myself to capture their stories, memories and experiences in a recorded interview. The veterans we had the honour of meeting and interviewing were incredibly generous with their time and the stories they shared. Our road trip took us across the state – meeting with them all – resulting in a powerful collection of interviews that are at once humble, revealing and honest.

Continue reading full curatorial essay in the catalogue below.