NOSTALGIC FOR THE NT
There’s nothing quite like a sense of nostalgia, looking back on the past with fond, familiar memories. An exciting new exhibition at Library & Archives NT (LANT) is set to get you feeling the feels for the NT.
WORDS TIERNEY WHITE
BACK IN THE 70s, a bunch of uni students from Sydney took fine art screen-printing techniques from the galleries to the streets, kicking off a new arts movement by pasting posters around the city.
When the DIY postering movement arrived in the NT, also in the 70s, it was met with much enthusiasm, going on to document a range of themes in the NT including the local music scene, festivals, grassroots theatre productions, First Nations self-determination, and iconic public health campaigns.
Anna Ingram, Acting Senior Director at LANT, says they’re looking forward to unveiling the NT’s past through the exhibition, Paste ’Em Up: Territory Poster Art from the 70s-90s.
“[We’re] excited to highlight and share this important community resource, which captures so much of the Territory’s cultural life over the last 50 years,” she says.
“The fact that several significant poster artists in the period have contributed to the exhibition makes it even more exciting.”
Local artist Todd Williams was one of the first in the Top End to adopt poster art back in the 80s, a passion he continues in the present day. Fresh from art school, he harnessed the art form to promote his band, Swamp Jockeys, a practice he continues today.
“We did our own t-shirts, and so on, and so we were able to create a look and a vibe about the band that was kind of homegrown. And I think that's really, really important. I love seeing posters around the city. It shows a vibrancy, it shows energy, and it's representative of how vibing we are as a community,” he says.
“I'm a harsh critic on posters. I like … being able to read details, for instance. Visual impacts are most important – there's something that has to be in there to draw you in, whether it's the band's name or it's the design, which makes you read the details, because you're just genuinely intrigued by the design.
“Design is really, really important. We can look at any band throughout history, or theatre events, and good branding is so important to credit.”
Williams recalls his excitement when the art form hit the streets.
“We spent six months down in [Sydney] trying to crack industry and we did our own screen printing in this old wool store right in the middle of the city that our friend was make coats from – that's where we were living, and we set up a screen printing facility in our shared rooms,” he says.
“We went on many runs in Sydney and encountered a few poster gangs that had their own private spots, and we weren't welcome, if you know what I mean. But when coming back to Darwin, we've always been interested in representing the band very visually and graphically. We had some good people on deck to help to make that happen.”
To complement the exhibition, a suite of education and public programs are delivered to engage audiences of all ages.
Along with original material, Paste ‘Em Up includes a short documentary film featuring interviews with key contributors to the development of poster art in the Northern Territory during the 80s and 90s. The film highlights the translation of fine art practices into an accessible community artform, and the emergence of a distinctive visual language reflective of the Territory’s cultural identity.
As the NT’s state library and archive, LANT plays a key role in collecting, preserving, and sharing the Territory’s documentary heritage, and we’re all lucky this history is captured so it can be rehashed and experienced in the years to come. This very masthead is even documented in the archives.
Paste ’Em Up highlights the cultural significance of posters as a form of everyday record. These works capture social movements, community life, artistic expression and public messaging, offering a unique insight into the Territory’s history and identity.
Head along for a glimpse back in time.
Paste ’Em Up: Territory Poster Art from the 70s–90s
WHEN WED 29 JUL – FRI 29 JAN, 2027 | OPENING WED 29 JUL, 5.30PM
AT LIBRARY & ARCHIVES NT, DANALA CAMPUS
INFO lant.nt.gov.au
