An Australian Indigenous artist has received more than 2,000 objects depicting Aboriginal people and culture after asking the public to donate racist souvenirs that have circulated in homes for decades. Tony Albert launched the appeal alongside his exhibition Not a Souvenir at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney, inviting people to hand over items ranging from decorative crockery and tea towels to ashtrays, beer coasters and figurines. The objects, often featuring stereotypical portrayals or caricatures of Indigenous Australians, were created and sold by non-Indigenous people. Albert wants to remove them from circulation and use his artistic practice to confront the history behind their production. The response has also prompted donors to reconsider the meaning of objects they inherited, collected or once regarded as ordinary souvenirs.
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