Through my eyes 2010 is the first artwork Cook created after he left a 25-year career as a commercial photographer to become an artist, a move driven by a desire to explore his Aboriginal heritage. The idea for this work came from an image the artist saw in a fashion magazine that prompted him to think about experiencing the world differently, by looking through someone else’s eyes.

In this series, Cook has reimagined the faces of Australia’s 27 prime ministers from 1901 to 2010. The artist has overlayed original photographs of the prime ministers with portraits the artist took of Aboriginal models from Cherbourg in Queensland and other places. By giving the faces of Australia’s former heads of government distinctly Aboriginal features, Cook is challenging us to look at the faces of Australia’s political leaders in a different way; through Indigenous eyes. In turn, this encourages us to consider what Australia’s political landscape might look like if our leaders were Aboriginal or took on a more Aboriginal point-of-view.

Michael Cook
Through my eyes 2010
inkjet print on paper
edition 8 + 2 AP
Courtesy the artist, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane and THIS IS NO FANTASY, Melboune