An Aussie artist has taken a jab at Prime Minister Scott Morrison‘s PR stunt of a trip to Lismore last month. And it’s Archibald Prize-worthy, IMO.
Scottie Marsh erected the mural on the corner of McEvoy Street and Wyndham Street in Sydney’s Alexandria. He had previously painted a piece of street art in Sydney depicting NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet as “Domicron” Perrottet and replaced his head with a giant COVID molecule.
The new mural shows Morrison standing in front of a green screen and pretending to sweep flood waste from the streets of Lismore. He’s wearing his infamous Hawaiin shirt as well as a hi-vis tradie jacket and gumboots.
“The green screens gonna look like Lismore right?” the caricatured Morrison says in the mural.
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The artwork is a callback to when Morrison visited Lismore in early March. His arrival came nine days after the community was first devastated by the floods.
He issued a “no photo” rule during his visit and discouraged the “politicisation” of natural disasters. But Lismore locals said via Echo the Prime Minister avoided talking to them.
“It’s become pretty clear he was not really here to talk to the people who are affected,” Greens member Sue Higginson told the publication.
“This was his opportunity. Yes, there were some upset people and yes, there are some angry people.
“But more importantly, there are people who have lost everything here and he did not address them.”
A few residents of the flood-affected parts of New South Wales agreed with the message behind the mural.
“So true it’s depressing,” said one.
“He wouldn’t even shake hands with us here in Lismore.”
“Where is it? I’m down in Sydney from the Northern Rivers. I want a photo next to this,” said another.
Honestly, someone needs to photograph and frame it in the Museum of Contemporary Art by the Federal Election on May 21st.
