Decolonising the Australian Beach Pattern: Black Joy as Creative Activism

This catalogue essay for the exhibition 'The Beach' by Noongar artist Dianne Jones, explores Indigenous art and the subversion of Charles Meere’s ‘Australian Beach Pattern’ (1940) in the artwork 'Jones's Beach Party' (2025). This essay examines the historical context of race representation on the beach in Australia to contemporary times. It explores the power of iconic photography and highlights how Indigenous presence embodying pleasure and joy in artistic interventions are transformative acts of creative refusal and resistance.