PAUL BONG | 'Cutting the Head Off 1877' | 2026 | Hand coloured intaglio etching | H 1120 x W 800 mm White Clay painting and sculpture

painting and sculpture

Peter Bertie Morrison

the Kingfisher

inviting the wearer to engage with culture in an intimate and meaningful way

PAUL BONG | 'Cutting the Head Off 1877' | 2026 | Hand coloured intaglio etching | H 1120 x W 800 mm White Clay painting and sculptureThe third print in the series, Cutting the Heads off is dated to 1877, and references specific violent encounters from the Cairns region. 1877 was the year that land sales were permitted, and a Native Police station established in Cairns. As a result, the frequency and intensity of violent clashes increased in the region as efforts were made to move Aboriginal people off their land so that European colonisation could take place. In a statement about