Lecture 2: Art, social life, and the divisiveness of private global power

If you missed Lecture 2: Art, social life, and the divisiveness of private global power by Dr Mary Eagle, in the Drill Hall’s 26/27 Lecture Series: Artworks of significance: ideas, history, aesthetics, and cultural context, you can watch the recorded version below or on our Youtube channel. 

Lecture 2: Art, social life, and the divisiveness of private global power
Dr Mary Eagle 
Sunday 3 May 2pm

Art’s observation of social life is especially pertinent now that our community is threatened by the divisiveness of private global power.

Communal life has always been a major theme in the arts. These days its observations stand forward in a world in which a vast gap has grown between ordinary people and global billionaires. Capitalism’s denial of any debt to communal life has enabled the growth of powerful private wealth. Private money-fuelled power prevents fair management of community by our governments.

The fact that homelessness has grown so high in populations around the world is a shame for every nation. To address the stark inequality in Australia, it would help if our government insisted upon a correct amount of money from private companies, to be paid before objects of trade were shipped out.
The sum raised by taxes needs to be sufficient for universities, schools, art galleries and other public institutions not to rely on private funding. Having to rely so heavily on private money has lowered tertiary education and research to the point where most, if not all universities, are unable to operate at an appropriate level. We still have a good health system which makes Australia stand out internationally for its social fairness. Once upon a time we had a good education system too. It would not be impossible for Australia to return to a similar status in education, the arts, sciences and, above all, communal culture.

This lecture will discuss art and exhibitions in relation to issues of social life and the divisiveness of private global power. The idea of how Australian life can be improved in a way that slightly cuts back the selfishness of global capitalism comes from expert advice, initially from my now dead husband, Martin Gascoigne. The discussion of today’s art engagement with these issues, and its’ closer connection with local communities, is based on my perception as an aged woman with a long history behind me. In addition, I am indebted to friends for some good suggestions.

Mary Eagle, an art historian now in her 82nd year, grew up in the country, in a few acres surrounded by farms. The house was on the edge of a sandstone escarpment pitted with seashells. The land on one side ran flat for many miles down to the ocean. On the other side was a rich river valley across which were foothills leading to the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. Her first acquaintance with political argument was when her father, who had timber-mills as well as other businesses, opposed the complete destruction of forests for paper manufacture. When his attempt to have the government turn away from this to a gardening style of forest management failed, he bought a large extent of forest to preserve, half of which was given to extend the indigenous site of the Den of Nargun.  A grand-daughter back in the 1990s, and a grand-daughter very recently also chose to buy land to restore to nature. Those memories relate in some way to the talk Dr Eagle will be giving.

Find out more about our 26/27 Lecture Series: Artworks of significance: ideas, history, aesthetics, and cultural context here.

Image: Lionel Fogarty, installation view, moiyum wungumbil mugerra bullonga, The Condensary, Toogoolawah, Queensland, November 2024 – February 2025