Faint Echoes

Full description

Background:
The research investigates the representation of the Eurasian female body in domestic settings, to question notions of transcultural identity, place, memory and belonging. Drawing upon Gaston Bachelard’s notion with his seminal text Poetics of Space, of ‘reading rooms’ alongside a phenomenological approach, the photographs feature the artist within the spaces, to embody and contemplate histories, both real and imagined, inhabiting an intangible emotional landscape. Situated within a long history of feminist photographic self-portraiture work from Francesca Woodman to Cindy Sherman, Sue Ford to Clare Rae, this exhibition provided further perspective on how self-portraiture can examine notions of self, through place and time.
Contribution:
The exhibition is the first public presentation of 12 artworks from two bodies of artwork across two gallery spaces within Bundoora Homestead. Presenting the works within the colonial historical location of Bundoora Homestead, further enabled the artworks to further explore notions of inclusive and colonising domestic spaces and their legacy. The intimate self-portrait photographs speak to the personal while considering broader post-colonial and feminist narratives in contemporary Australia, where roles of women, and Asian women may not have been originally welcome.
Significance:
The exhibition was programmed by the Curator at Bundoora Homestead in 2019, it was accompanied by a written essay by Amelia Winata which critically examined the themes presented. The exhibition was profiled in national arts magazines in print and online including Art Guide Australia’s Top 5, Art Collector, Public Galleries Association Victoria, Weekend Notes, Darebin City Council magazine and a radio interview was conducted on 3RRR SmartArts program. One of the works presented has been acquired by Bendigo Art Gallery, and another was a finalist in the Olive Cotton Award.