Artist Statement
It all feels like a bad dream.
I began making this exhibition towards the end of 2019. And I didn’t want to make a body of work about the descending dark age of nationalism, the nightmare of environmental destruction and an ever-expanding pandemic. But I kind of did.
Liars, thieves and scumbags globally rose to power. They operate from the same play book of instilling fear, manipulating information and performing to their crowd.
Morrison played a ukulele whilst Australia burnt. The scale of the bushfires was unbelievable – day turned to night and endless scenes of destruction rolled out across our screens. Our studio was turned into a wildlife resource depot with mountains of medical supplies arriving that took up every nook and cranny.
A virus swamped us and will permanently change our way of life. An overnight forced hibernation suddenly became our new norm.
But out of all this, I’ve seen people actively reach out to each other; supporting and reconnecting with friends, neighbours and strangers alike. Old modes of cultural and economic connection have rapidly evolved. Social and environmental revolutions are at a tipping point. Though we’re still in the thick of it- I wanted to offer some sort of reprieve. I’m optimistic a new enlightened dawn is inevitable and not far off.