wearables/ textile art/ garments
wallflower series
Wenzhou paper, graphite, Sumi ink, acrylic paint, sewing thread, zipper
drawing, ink and painted paper garment
artist statement
A flower garden is a celebration of beauty. Grown to be admired, blooms are picked, and arranged in vases to beautify the home, their sweet perfume noting their presence.
The botanicals in this series are carefully selected. The importance of language is explored in how society shapes expectations of acceptable behaviour for girls and young women.
'Sugar and spice and all things nice', being seen but not heard, am I not pretty enough? Don't make a fuss,... Seemingly harmless phrases and statements that have been said to girls for hundreds of years.
While developing these works, the old-fashioned idea of dances where the young women would wait like wall flowers until they were picked to dance came to mind. The narrative text on other garments being influenced by popular culture references from song lyrics.
The works reflect a freedom and bravery, of being more assertive in response to these societal expectations. Through self-awareness, acknowledgement, by seeing and naming the influence they have over our actions we can begin to change the power imbalance of judgement over appearance and the critiquing of the 'appropriate' behaviour of women.
Words spoken are like ink on paper. They are meant to be permanent. To last. Hand coloured the combination creates a new fabric and attitude to these social norms looking to give women back their voices and not be seen only as something decorative.
2023 'The girl who climbed trees' solo exhibition - tamworth regional gallery, NSW
Wenzhou paper, graphite, Sumi ink, acrylic paint, sewing thread, zipper
drawing, ink and painted paper garment
artist statement
A flower garden is a celebration of beauty. Grown to be admired, blooms are picked, and arranged in vases to beautify the home, their sweet perfume noting their presence.
The botanicals in this series are carefully selected. The importance of language is explored in how society shapes expectations of acceptable behaviour for girls and young women.
'Sugar and spice and all things nice', being seen but not heard, am I not pretty enough? Don't make a fuss,... Seemingly harmless phrases and statements that have been said to girls for hundreds of years.
While developing these works, the old-fashioned idea of dances where the young women would wait like wall flowers until they were picked to dance came to mind. The narrative text on other garments being influenced by popular culture references from song lyrics.
The works reflect a freedom and bravery, of being more assertive in response to these societal expectations. Through self-awareness, acknowledgement, by seeing and naming the influence they have over our actions we can begin to change the power imbalance of judgement over appearance and the critiquing of the 'appropriate' behaviour of women.
Words spoken are like ink on paper. They are meant to be permanent. To last. Hand coloured the combination creates a new fabric and attitude to these social norms looking to give women back their voices and not be seen only as something decorative.
2023 'The girl who climbed trees' solo exhibition - tamworth regional gallery, NSW