Fiona Katauskas

Also known as Katauskas
  • Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator)
Contemporary Melbourne and Sydney cartoonist and illustrator. Before becoming a full-time cartoonist in 1997, Katauskas travelled the world working for aid organisations. She has been published widely, but has also done illustrations for many non-governmental organisations, including Women with Disabilities (Australia), International Women's Development Agency and Community Aid Abroad.
Tags: Mambo

cartoonist and illustrator, initially studied journalism and politics in Australia and the USA and travelled all over the world, working for grass-roots Human Rights and Development organisations in Indonesia, India and the Philippines and filling journals with cartoons. In 1995 she attended the Beijing Women’s Forum then returned to Sydney. She moved to Melbourne to work for overseas aid organisations, but 1996 proved a difficult year and she was retrenched. She decided to become a cartoonist and began cartooning full-time in 1997. In 1999, when living in Collingwood (Vic), she was included on the 1999 Black Ink site (no longer operational). She moved back to Sydney and was living at Bondi in 2000. Early in 2001 Kathy Bail offered Katauskas some work on the Bulletin while Reg Lynch was on holidays, inspired by her postcard “Greetings from Canberra” (2000), which showed a small group of respectably dressed people grinning weakly beside a couple holding up a banner stating “Public Service Festival”. A few tentatively hold balloons and a few wave feebly.

Her cartoons have appeared in the SMH , the Age and the Australian (1999-late 2000) as well as in Strewth! magazine, Arena, The Chaser , the Sydney City Hub and on Mambo T-shirts. She was the only woman illustrator included in The Chaser Annual: Highlights from Australia’s Satirical Newspaper (Text Publishing, Melbourne 2000) – the others being James Edwards, Luke Fox-Allen, Matthew Taylor, Robert Tilley, Oliver Watts and Andrew Weldon . Two works were hung in the 1999 Bringing the House Down exhibition of 96 original cartoons selected from 233 entries from 52 cartoonists at Old Parliament House, Canberra. She was also in Bringing the House Down 2001 with two cartoons – 'White lies’and 'UnAustralian’ (according to the NMA website) – and presumably exhibited in 2000 also. 'White Lies’, published in the Walkley Magazine Spring 2001 showed a young caucasian man in an Olympic blazer and tie defending the Government Policy on Aboriginals while 'UnAustralian’, published in the Chaser 17 September 2001, depicted a caucasian woman at the end of a pier as a refugee boat approaches saying: “I know it’s extremely unAustralian of me, but I’d like to welcome you to our shores…”.

In 2001 Katauskas was employed to provide cartoons for the 'new look’ Weekend Australian Magazine on a regular rotating basis with previous weekly staff artist Judy Dunn and expatriate Victoria Roberts . ( Judy Horacek , who had previously appeared regularly – mostly weekly for ages – did not have her contract renewed.) The first Katauskas cartoon was published on 25-26 August 2001 but few followed, even though it was announced that she would appear every two or three weeks. (Roberts and Dunn, on the other hand, became permanent fixtures).

A full member of the Australian Black & White Artists’ Club, she has also done illustrations for many non-governmental organisations, including Women with Disabilities (Australia), International Women’s Development Agency and Community Aid Abroad. She was one of the nine cartoonists included in the Bunker Gallery exhibition of contemporary Australian women cartoonists in 2002-3. She also has her own website (2003) featuring cartoons such as Cross-Cultural Homophones ('Garnesh’ India and 'Garnish’ Rooty Hill RSL).

Writers:
Kerr, Joan
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007