Poor Pauline has been the victim of yet another ridiculing street mural, but this time she not offended because she’s toughened up from all the other worse things she’s been through (like that time when she discovered Asians could be Muslims too!)
Pauline Hanson says she’s copped so much ridicule that it doesn’t faze her anymore – even if it’s a dog urinating on her face and by an ex Prime Minister’s nephew.
Artist, activist and nephew of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Van T Rudd, painted the wall in Melbourne’s West, depicting a bulldog urinating on the One Nation Senator’s face. The bulldog references Melbourne West’s AFL team, which Rudd believes is strong point of unity for the city’s residents.
“The strength of the migrant population, the Aboriginal culture that is here, the Western Bulldogs to me represent a lot of that,” Rudd said. “I wanted to show that racism and extreme right-wing politics won’t be tolerated in Melbourne’s west.”
While it has received mixed attention from the public and the media, Hanson seemed unaffected in her response.
“From what I’ve been through, for what I’ve had thrown at me over the year, you think that would offend me? Not at all,” Hanson said.
Mural art has long been a form of political protest, with NSW copping a fare few like the striking Casino Mike in Sydney by Scott Marsh.
“I feel like the art and the sports is an arena that we can challenge things … that’s why it’s really important for me to do this,” Rudd said.
Hanson’s face has since been painted over by the local council so that now only the dog remains.
“We believe that this mural is offensive because of the depiction of a dog urinating on the face of a political figure, not on the basis of disrespect to Pauline Hanson in general,” the council’s chief executive officer Stephen Wallhe said.
Check out our interview with LushLux, a Melbourne muralist who is pathing the path to infamy with memes and the contentious Sydney artist Scott Marsh.
