My work frequently questions our history and seeks to include alternative perspectives that counteract our collective ‘forgetfulness’. The rhetoric of ‘exploration’, ‘discovery’ and ‘settlement’ obscures the complex and nuanced interactions between settler and Indigenous cultures that are inescapably entwined and continue to influence our sense of identity today.
Taking as a starting point my own explorations of elusive familial and cultural histories that include both whispers of indigenous ancestry and migrant frontier settlers, my practice often considers strategies for masking, concealment and control. Born to a family of boat makers and fishermen, I frequently use maritime and nautical references that take on a darker resonance in the context of Australia’s unsettled history.
This sugar-cured lacework considers some of this veiled history. Both painstakingly handcrafted object and protective layer obscuring traces of use, the doily acts as a mask, a firm reminder of the resolve to control.
sugar, lace, wood, paint
60 x 40 x 40 cm
Finalist
Judges of the 20th Anniversary Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Dr Lara Strongman (Director Curatorial and Digital, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia), Joanna Capon OAM (Art Historian, Curator and Industrial Archaeologist) and Jenny Kee AO (Artist and Fashion Designer).
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