Kyra Mancktelow

Unconstitutional Love is more than a wedding dress – it is a powerful symbol of union, devotion, and tradition. While the form may appear familiar, artist Mancktelow challenges us to look beyond the surface, urging a deeper engagement with the historical narratives woven.

Through this work, Mancktelow draws attention to the discriminatory policies that once required Indigenous Australians to seek government permission to marry – a stark reminder of a system that sought to regulate love and undermine autonomy. In this context, the wedding dress becomes a potent act of reclamation. It speaks to the endurance of love in the face of bureaucratic control, asserting that love should never require approval.

Created it as my way of saying “yes to the dress” –for all our women who were denied that moment. It is a wedding dress for the women who deserved one, but were told they couldn’t have it. It is for the love stories that were controlled, questioned, or silenced, and for the enduring spirit that refused to be broken.

Unconstitutional Love is thus not merely a garment. It is a statement of resistance, a reclamation of identity, and a celebration of enduring love and hope – forces that colonial systems tried to suppress, but could never extinguish