In a provocative move, the Western Australian Museum has acquired a piece of perspex glass that was vandalized during a climate protest targeting an acclaimed Frederick McCubbin painting. The decision has ignited a fierce debate over whether the museum is preserving history or glorifying criminal acts.
Protest Relic Sparks Controversy
The perspex, which once protected McCubbin’s famous work “Down on His Luck” at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, was spray-painted with the logo of energy giant Woodside by activists from Disrupt Burrup Hub in January 2023. The protesters aimed to draw attention to Woodside’s alleged destruction of ancient Indigenous rock art on the Burrup Peninsula.
McCubbin Descendant Backs Acquisition
Margot Edwards, the great-granddaughter of Frederick McCubbin, has come out in support of the museum’s controversial acquisition. She argues that the vandalized perspex served as an effective canvas for the protesters’ message, stating:
It is the museum’s job to collect material significant to our state’s cultural life. As an act of protest drawing attention to the impacts of fossil fuel extraction on priceless ancient Indigenous heritage, the perspex on McCubbin’s painting was an effective palette for this radical protest.
Both Edwards and McCubbin’s great-great-grandchild Ned Reilly had previously endorsed the protest, calling it a “clever” act that their ancestor would have approved of for sparking an important conversation.
Museum Defends Decision
WA Museum executive director Alec Coles insists that the acquisition does not equate to an endorsement of Disrupt Burrup Hub’s cause or tactics. Instead, he maintains that the museum is fulfilling its role of documenting significant events in society, whether mundane or controversial.
We condemn the vandalizing of cultural institutions and collections, because those belong to the public. But we are documenting things that happen in our society, major events, mundane events. That’s what we do.
Coles pointed to other protest-related artifacts in the museum’s vast collection, from items documenting the Noonkanbah dispute to those related to the Vietnam draft and the gay marriage plebiscite. He emphasized that the perspex was acquired at no cost to taxpayers and that there are no immediate plans to display it.
Protesters Claim Victory
Joana Partyka, the activist who defaced the McCubbin painting, celebrated the museum’s move on social media. In a video filmed at the museum with the now-infamous perspex, Partyka expressed gratitude for the recognition of her act’s historical significance and its role in the Disrupt Burrup Hub campaign.
Despite facing fines and public criticism, Partyka claims to have received overwhelming support on social media for her protest. She dismissed detractors as getting “their knickers in a twist” over the issue.
Politicians Condemn “Glorification” of Vandalism
Not everyone is pleased with the museum’s acquisition. Nationals WA leader Shane Love released a scathing statement expressing his outrage at what he perceives as a state institution endorsing criminal behavior. He called on the government to urgently review the museum’s procurement processes.
Significant police and court resources were used to deal with this case, and now we see a state government entity effectively endorsing this kind of behavior by putting it on display.
Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti also rejected the museum’s justification, arguing that the government doesn’t preserve vandalized public property as historical artifacts. “We don’t keep the carriages that people have graffitied … we clean the graffiti off because it’s illegal behavior,” she stated.
Sponsor Woodside Backs Museum
Perhaps surprisingly, Woodside, a major sponsor of the WA Museum, has expressed support for the institution’s stance. The energy company, which funds the museum’s Woodside Learning Studios, stated that it accepts the museum’s assurance that the acquisition does not reflect an endorsement of the protest action.
Woodside condemns unlawful acts that are intended to threaten, harm, intimidate or disrupt our employees or any other member of the community. We believe these actions should be met with the full force of the law.
Despite this, Woodside maintains that it “fully supports respectful debate, including in relation to complex challenges like climate change.” The company’s measured response may reflect a desire to avoid further inflaming tensions around its operations on the Burrup Peninsula.
Balancing Preservation and Condemnation
As the debate rages on, the WA Museum finds itself walking a tightrope between its duty to document culturally significant events and the risk of appearing to condone illegal acts. While supporters argue that preserving the vandalized perspex is a vital act of historical recordkeeping, critics maintain that it sets a dangerous precedent.
Ultimately, the incident highlights the complex intersection of art, activism, and cultural institutions in an era of escalating climate protests. As activists increasingly target artworks to draw attention to their cause, museums must grapple with how to balance their role as societal chroniclers with their responsibility to protect the works entrusted to their care.
For now, the controversial perspex remains in the WA Museum’s collection, a tangible reminder of a divisive moment in Australia’s cultural and environmental politics. Whether it will eventually go on display remains to be seen, but its very existence ensures that the debate over the limits of protest and preservation will continue to rage.
