Welcome to the weekend roundup of essential reads from the past seven days, selected by Imogen Dewey. Whether you're in the mood for long-form journalism or quick tips, we've got you covered.
1. Tony Albert on turning racist ‘Aboriginalia’ into art
Tony Albert’s new solo show at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art features thousands of pieces of what he calls “Aboriginalia”: cups, tea towels, playing cards, and figurines. These items ostensibly depict Aboriginal people and designs but are created by non-Indigenous people, often caricatured, exoticised, or kitsch. “People sometimes ask: ‘How do you even come across this stuff? We never see any of it.’ Trust me, once [you’re aware of it], it’s everywhere,” Albert says. The 45-year-old artist tells Dee Jefferson about his deep relationship with these often painfully racist materials. “I have reconciled with this stuff. I can use it, I can abuse it. I can interrogate it.” Reading time: five minutes.
2. Wallace Shawn on Hollywood and speaking out on Palestine
Character actor Wallace Shawn, known for roles in The Princess Bride and Clueless, has more than 200 screen credits. In a frank chat with Juan A Ramírez, the 82-year-old reveals his disappointment at not being given broader roles. “I’ve been sitting here for many decades, totally available.” Shawn, a longtime member of the leftwing, anti-Zionist organisation Jewish Voice for Peace, deflects questions about whether his open support of Palestine has cost him opportunities. However, he says “there have been some consequences to my becoming politically aware.” Reading time: four minutes.
3. ‘The devil’s child’: the rise and fall of the only female yakuza
This long read about Mako Nishimura is gripping. At 5ft nothing, she is “perhaps the only woman ever to have been a full-fledged yakuza,” writes Sean Williams. In almost 40 years, she has never lost a fight. When asked how she handles male gangsters, she says, “First the legs. You cut him down with a club or a plank of wood.” As a teenage runaway, Nishimura renamed herself Mako and got the first of hundreds of tattoos that now cover almost her entire body. These, along with the missing little finger on her left hand, are visible signs of her former life. Reading time: 11 minutes.
4. From scandal to success: a political playbook
At the turn of the last century, an ambitious young Sydney solicitor caused a scandal in a high-profile murder case. After years of image rehabilitation, he became a political leader. While researching Richard Meagher’s fall and rise, Patrick Mullins spotted a pattern in the strategies adopted by disgraced public figures. Step one: distort legal judgments into simple conclusions. Step two: claim victimhood. Step three: soften up your audience with good deeds. Step four: build markers of status and wait. Reading time: three minutes. Further reading: Penry Buckley’s profile of New South Wales corrections minister Anoulack Chanthivong offers a fascinating window on contemporary state politics.
5. Design dos and don’ts for small space living
From furniture with “skinny legs” to making sure spaces work for multiple purposes, three experts who live in tiny homes share their best lessons with Doosie Morris. “The most sanity-saving design choices keep rooms usable for different purposes by two people at the same time,” says architect Claire Scorpo. “We get lured into the idea that open-plan living is the best kind of design for small spaces but often that one big space can only do one thing at once.” Reading time: two minutes.
Sign up to receive Five Great Reads in your email inbox every weekend. Check out our full list of newsletters.
