Like Civilised 2012, Undiscovered 2010 is set on a shoreline looking out to sea referencing the first point of contact between Indigenous Australians and European explorers. In Undiscovered, the artist is reflecting on the ‘discovery’ of Australia by Captain James Cook in 1770. Even though Aboriginal people had been living in Australia for tens of thousands of years, Australia was declared terra nullius—a Latin term meaning ‘land belonging to no one’. Subsequent Australian land laws established on this claim justified acquisition by British occupation without treaty or payment, therefore, denying the Indigenous people of Australia prior occupation and connection to their lands.

These images present a single Aboriginal man swapping roles with his colonisers. At times he is dressed in British naval attire and assumes poses expected of an officer, at others he is wearing a loincloth and confidently walking along the shore. Australian native animals also appear as does the Union Jack and a tall sailing ship—both enduring symbols of colonisation and control. In the closing image of the series, Undiscovered #10, the man is absent and the Union Jack lies discarded and limp on the beach.

Cook playfully critiques the myth of the ‘discovery’ of Australia. The images speak to the strength and resilience of Indigenous Australians and prompt us to question who controls how the stories of our history are created and told.

Michael Cook
Undiscovered 2010
Left to right
Undiscovered #1, Undiscovered #3, Undiscovered #4, Undiscovered #7, Undiscovered #10
inkjet print on paper
edition 8
USC Art Collection
Donated through the Australian Government’s Philanthropy Program by Paul Greenfield AO and Louise Greenfield, 2020
Courtesy the artist, Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane and THIS IS NO FANTASY, Melbourne