‘To gubba up is to whiten up; to whiten up is to cover up.’
Gubba Up investigates the destruction of Aboriginal culture by covering up blak skin. ‘Gubba Up’, loosely translates to ‘whiten up’ – a phrase used by First Nations peoples to describe the need to change your way of life to suit your environment. To gubba up is to whiten up; to whiten up is to cover up. These and other systemic incursions are continual forms of the colonial regime imposed over Aboriginal land and people, and for Kyra Mancktelow, a key component of her ongoing investigation into garments and their unwritten histories.
Kyra’s multi-faceted series serve as starting point for her audience to learn more about the history of Australian colonial garments and their impact of Indigenous culture. The jackets worn by warriors have not survived, the artefacts are absent. It is not possible to see or touch the real fabric, study the colour, cut, stitching, buttons, piping, braid, the tears and stains. These coats and jackets are ghost artefacts, recorded only in the paintings and words of colonial power, and then often conveyed through thick lenses of ridicule, revulsion or pity.
While these jackets and coats are long gone, Kyra’s work remains.