Courtroom Illustration and Poems of Military Justice

Artist Statement – former Major Mary-Ann Martinek 

As an Australian contemporary courtroom artist, I document moments where justice, humanity, and truth intersect. Working swiftly in spaces where cameras are forbidden, my drawings capture the fragile tension of trials — fleeting expressions distilled into lasting testimony. Each illustration becomes an act of witness.

My poetry extends this same commitment to bearing witness. Written across decades of lived military experience, the poems examine hidden cultures within defence life — unspoken codes, silences, betrayals, and the endurance of memory. Speaking out about harassment, secrecy, or abuse of power has always carried risk, yet these verses insist on remembrance.

Possum Stew explores the corrosive effects of bullying and corruption, where comradeship curdles into cruelty. Death of Officer Cadet “F” gives voice to trauma from sexual violence and institutional complicity, confronting the cost of enforced silence. Remember the Horses, published by the Australian Light Horse Association, honours the service animals left behind or destroyed after war, transforming their loss into a haunting meditation on loyalty and sacrifice.

Together, the drawings and poems form a practice of remembrance and resistance. Whether in the courtroom or on the page, my work seeks to honour those whose stories might otherwise be erased — and to illuminate the fragile spaces where truth struggles to be heard.