Undermine is a finalist in the Fishers Ghost Award, at the Campbelltown Art Centre, from 3rd Nov- 15th December, 2017.
Undermine pivots from a small painting by a nineteenth century former-convict and amateur artist, George Peacock. The painting looks along Sydney Harbour, encompassing a view of the emerging commerce and city of the colony, and was central to my previous exhibition, Profiteer Chic, at Artereal Gallery, July 2017.
In Undermine I have used fragments from this colonial landscape to photoshop a between-image, with an overlay of fibreglass mesh, depicting two oil rigs.
The linen work is framed by two fabric and feather banner forms, one of which rests on a pile of plaster-reinforced sandcastles.
In this work I was reflecting on ideas around extractive economics and colonialism, both old and new. I am also interested in territorialism and sovereignty- formal versus provisional and vernacular forms of spatial occupation. The expanded installation structures reflect on this interest. When I was a child I shared the great Australian summer holiday experience at the beach- spending days by the beach umbrella, building small termporary cities of sandcastles, complete with seaweed flags and gumnut boats. Some of this spatial play is reflected in this work.
http://c-a-c.com.au/fishers-ghost-art-award-2017/