Australian Parliament House

The Illumination

I AM A NEW WOMAN by Alison Alder

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are advised that the APH illumination will contain the names and images of people who have died. 

This year Australian Parliament House will be transformed by vibrant colour as we celebrate 12 inspirational women who campaigned for a more inclusive democracy. These women were part of a movement of thousands of women and men who mobilised across Australia over decades for the cause of political citizenship. The illumination is inspired by I AM A NEW WOMAN, an exhibition by Australian Parliament House’s first Artist-in-Residence, Alison Alder.

In 1902, Australia became the first country in the world to grant women the same rights as men to vote and to stand as candidates in federal elections. However, these rights were not universal, with some groups excluded from the franchise. It would be another 60 years before all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women were able to enrol and vote at federal elections. The right to vote and to stand for public office underpins Australia’s system of democracy.

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The Artist

Alison Alder is a visual artist based in the Canberra region. In I AM A NEW WOMAN, Alder combines contemporary photographs, quotations, and organisational affiliations. This enables ‘the actions and personalities of these women, who were so resolute and radical in their challenges to accepted societal norms, to shine through in the screen prints.’

Alder has worked within community groups, research institutions and Indigenous organisations. Her research is focussed on empowering communities through the visualisation of common social aims and under-represented histories.

Her work has been exhibited in several key Australian exhibitions including, amongst others, Know My Name at the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), Making It New: Focus on Contemporary Australian Art at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney), See You at the Barricades at the Art Gallery of NSW and Portrait 23: Identity at the National Portrait Gallery.

Her work is held in major Australian public collections including the National Gallery of Australia and Australian Parliament House, most State galleries, numerous regional galleries, the Australian War Memorial, and private collections including the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art. In the USA, her work is held in the collections of the Centre for the Study of Political Graphics, the Interference Archive, and the New York Public Library Print Collection.

Most recently during 2024 Alder was artist-in-residence at Australian Parliament House, Canberra, where she researched and created the exhibition, I AM A NEW WOMAN. Alder is currently an Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Art and Design at the Australian National University.

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