John Therry Catholic College
Dharawal Country
Stories of the Dark
Drawing
Coloured pencils, paper
The seemingly innocent question, ‘Where are you from?’ highlights differences in Australian society. This is especially so when referring to skin colour. This effectively deports people back to faraway places and is confronting those who have no other place to call home. My body of work represents how a particular racial identity is imposed on people without their consent. Recognising the hyper-visibility of their skin colour, the different colours reflect on the difficult and transcendental journeys of embracing their blackness, resenting it, or feeling separated from it. This can be liberating, but it can also foster a deep sense of exclusion, knowing that to be fully human in Australia, and to exist with dignity, is to be white. Therefore to be non-white, particularly to be black, occupies the space on the margin.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Jenny Saville, Andy Warhol, Shirin Neshat.
| ARTEXPRESS 2024 is a collaboration between NSW Department of Education and NSW Education Standards Authority, curated and presented by Hazelhurst Arts Centre. |
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