Luke Cornish on the recent censorship of his work and COVID racism – ArtsHub

Three recently censored artworks again raise questions over COVID-fuelled racism, and the flipside, social media bullying and the lack of civil conversations where needed.

Luke Cornish (aka e.l.k.) is no stranger to censorship and public backlash to his art practice.

You might recall in September 2019, Cornishs high profile mural located along Bondi Beachs boardwalk was vandalised. It took a hardline against Australias Border Force policies and the resulting suicides in detention facilities a topic Cornish felt need greater community conversation.

Read: Luke Cornish on censorship, commercialism and street art

Cornish has again faced attacks this past week, and has became the centre of yet another national media storm. This time is over touted claims of #covidracism.

Three artworks from Cornishs exhibition of near 30 pieces, currently showing at a Canberra gallery, have been removed as a response to hundreds of angered social media posts and emails claiming the works were racist.

It would seem the title of the exhibition Dont shoot the messenger had become prophesy.

Cornish told ArtsHub: The whole crux of this exhibition is to call out the abuse of power; it targets all governments and all religions.

I think I inadvertently offended a group of young organised [Chinese] students I can understand why, I have to say I was nave to racism that COVID has bought with it, that is why I agreed that piece had to be taken down, he explained.

The piece called out was made on RMB Chinese currency depicting China's founding Communist leader Mao Zedong as Batman.

However, a further two pieces were also removed by the gallery RMB with Mao as Winnie the Pooh, and the third taking a stab at a facial recognition scan.

The gallery was getting hammered on social media, Cornish said. They did what they thought was right. They have been very supportive of my work over the past ten years, so I am really sad for any damage that has been done there.

Cornish said the Batman work was an attempt to point out the stupidity of conspiracy theories around coronavirus origins, but I can [now] see why the Asian community might have read it within the hate movement that has happened since the pandemic, he told ArtsHub.

The exhibition titled Dont shoot the messenger also uses riot shields, throwing knives and cutthroat razors as well as the paper currency from dozens of different countries as canvases for igniting conversations about violence, citizen protests en masse and media cycles.

The overall theme of the exhibition is injustice and protest, and people rising up against injustice globally, Cornish says on the gallerys website.

He continued to ArtsHub: The global climate in general is all about protest and war but I am not politically motivated. Cornish was clear in describing himself as an activist.

My whole arts practice is about the freedom of speech As I said to you in our earlier conversation, I need the freedom to make mistakes in my work.

Read: On Art, Activism and Empathy: George Gittoes and Luke Cornish

A coordinated attack

Cornish believes the social media campaign was a coordinated attack.

It felt like a targeted attack the hate mail all came in within a few hours it was definitely organised, said Cornish. They didnt try to speak to me [first]; they just wanted to shut down the conversation.

He described the attack as form of mental bullying, adding that the artwork has been completely taken out of context.

Cornish said the last couple of weeks have been a blur, but says the wave has started to die down.

Im starting to see trends it reminds me of what happened with Bondi first comes the hate, then comes the support ,and then comes the media knocking on the door.

The first week was just hate mail and social media, and then it turned around and come back as support and went viral in Hong Kong, and I just heard it is now in Brazil.

The exhibition includes activist artworks around the Hong Kong and Venezuela mass protests, and marches held for the Black Lives Matter movement around the world as well as issues closer to home like the Religious Discrimination Bill proposed by the Morrison government, and the greed and influence of the mining industry.

While located within the Australian National University (ANU) precinct, the gallery is independent.

Dont shoot the messenger at aMBUSH gallery, 12 March 11 April.

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Luke Cornish on the recent censorship of his work and COVID racism - ArtsHub