At PICA we recognise that we are situated within the unceded lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation. We pay our respects and offer our gratitude to Elders past and present, and to those emerging leaders in the community. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the importance of their care and continued connection to culture, community and Country.

Always was, always will be.

Galleries are open today, 10am–5pm. Our exhibitions are always free.

Wages of Spin

Wages of Spin

With their trademark biting irony, version 1.0 revisits the spinning of the case for Australia’s participation in the war on Iraq, and its consequences for our democracy. It’s staged as if in a live media studio, with the performers re-voicing key players from the Prime Minister to feral columnists, while a vision switcher calls the shots, floor crew wheel backdrops, props and interview talent on and off on cue, and live cameras transform and multiply every image to saturation point. The production’s meticulously researched script draws on public documents – speeches, Senate Committee proceedings into the scandals around sexed-up intelligence reports, interviews and opinion pieces from across the political spectrum. Sounds dry? Wait till you see the Defence Minister negotiating a bed of nails, blindfolded, as he’s quizzed about who knew what, when.