Launched last month on the grounds of St Kilda Parish Mission, Deterrence is a confronting art installation constructed by Rev John Tansey. The life-size sculptures were made from 800 metres of barbed wire and depict a father, pregnant mother and baby child each hanging from their own crucifix.
Each cross is labelled with the sites of Australia’s most controversial detention centres: Manus Island, Nauru and Christmas Island.
“Jesus was crucified because he spoke out against injustice,” Mr Tansey said. “This work reflects on the way the cross was used in the past as a tool for fear and intimidation and the way the Australian government is currently treating men, women and children, in offshore detention centres.”
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