Reflections on Colonialism and the Wealth Gap

Abstract

This collage is focused on the juxtaposition of colonial wealth alongside those who have been exploited to produce and maintain that wealth. The imagery of many eyes represents both the oppressive surveillance exacted by the ruling class, and the reciprocal gaze of the witnesses to colonial oppression which observe, experience, and locate injustice, systemically. The top corners each have one half of the British monarch's crown, which is a symbol of theft, ownership, power, and also the disconnect between the privileged ultra-wealthy and the hands which labour to produce that wealth. The blue door, slightly ajar, is the path towards reconciliation, returning the land to Indigenous stewardship, and the deconstruction of colonial hierarchies. That is the “what if?” of this collage. What if we could open that door and take a stand? What if we broke the pattern? What would happen if we resisted? What power do they hold over us once you strip away the crowns and jewels, to reveal the fragile institution beneath it?