Civilised #2 2012

Through a combination of theatrically staged mises en scène and digital editing, Michael Cook’s works depict an ethereal dream world – a timeless place that traverses both the colonial and contemporary worlds and is sustained on ‘what ifs’ and hypotheticals. It is a place of Cook’s own modern Dreaming. His central question is simple: what if the Europeans, instead of dismissing Aboriginal society, had taken a more open approach to their culture and knowledge systems? In this utopian ‘First Nations first’ world, questions can be posed and answered without the complication of race – there is no black and white, no right or wrong. In capturing images of Aboriginal people in stereotype-challenging roles, Cook ensures an Indigenous voice is ever-present in these works.