The following posters were produced in 1986 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of organized anarchist activity in Australia by the Australian Anarchist Centenary Celebration Collective. Formed in August of 1984 by the Libertarian Workers for a Self Managed Society (L.W.S.S.), the collective planned and organized activities which observed the formation of the Melbourne Anarchist Club, the first known anarchist group in Australia.
"Anarchy is order – Government is Chaos"
Offset lithography.
Height: 41.9 cm Width: 29.2 cm.
Australia, 1986.
Believing that government is the true source of chaos, this poster declares Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s immortal maxim "Anarchy is order." The message conveys the anarchist’s belief that the only way to achieve real order in a society is through voluntary cooperation. Anarchists assert that everything now accomplished by the state can be done more efficiently by voluntary or associative efforts. They believe it is the natural tendency of people in a free society to respect the rights of the individual.
We Celebrate 100 Years
Offset lithography.
Height: 41.9 cm Width: 29.2 cm.
Australia, 1986.
The sub-title of this poster reads "Build the New Society out of the Shell of the Old." The message expresses the simple desire for personal autonomy within a functioning, non-hierarchical cooperative society. The artwork in this poster illustrates the idea of individual responsibility over government rule through the actions of the characters represented. Anarchists do not believe in a society without order, but in a society which creates order out of voluntary association.
Imagine, Imagine
Offset lithography.
Height: 41.9 cm Width: 29.2 cm.
Australia, 1986.
"Imagine, Imagine, equal decision-making power, equal distribution of wealth." This poster also conveys the vision of a cooperative world in which all people share the power to make decisions. It also expresses the idea that through shared wealth and resources, society will be better abled to achieve equality and cooperation. Central to the graphics in this poster is the symbol of the encircled A, the most common and recognizable representaion of Proudhon’s maxim, "Anarchy is Order."
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Exhibit Designer: Cameron Trowbridge