Green t-shirt with identical printed design on left breast and back. Design is of a person sitting cross-legged on the ground. Their left hand is covering their face, the right is resting against their leg and gesturing to a red plate with a vatu banknote on it. Large red text, in Bislama, is printed to the figure’s right. On the front, the text translates to: “Are you able to eat money?!”. On the back, the text translates to: “Selling land? Think carefully about it…”. Black text underneath the figure, spanning the entire bottom half of the t-shirt, translates to: “Are you able to eat money?!”.

• Narrative

  Three t-shirts (3483/4-6) with environmental messaging, collected by Mayer in Vanuatu at an artists’ centre in 2019. Vanuatu was one of the first Pacific Island countries to ban plastic bags.

---

• Type of Item shirt
• Culture Ni-Vanuatu
• Material cotton fibre, dye, plastic ink
• Measurements height 56.3 cm, width 64.0 cm (overall)

---

• Previous Owner Carol E. Mayer
• Received from Carol E. Mayer

---

• Made in Vanuatu

---

• Creation Date during 2019
• Ownership Date before January 20, 2021
• Acquisition Date on January 20, 2021

---

• Item Classes textiles
• Condition excellent
• Accession Number 3483/0005