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We would like to acknowledge the Wathaurong people of the Kulin Nations as the Traditional Owners of the land that inspired this series, and of where this exhibition is being held, and pay our respect to Elders both past, present and future.
Into the Wild is a collection that aims to celebrate both our beautiful coastline along with the lessons I've learned throughout my art journey, which have helped me grow into a place of self-acceptance and self-love.
Over the Summer I decided to go on a hike along the coastline by myself and explore the organic and uncultivated beauty of the Surf coast. It is very out of the norm for me to hike on my own, having always been someone who is scared to be alone, not to mention as a woman who has grown up with the messaging to always remain hyper-vigilant about my safety, encouraged to fear the outside world and to always look over ones shoulder. The courage and trust in myself to do something as simple as a solo hike is something I have gained through my art journey. During this time, I have realised how important it is for us to be in tune with our inner voice, with our gut instinct, how we feel in situations and what path we want to take. I believe in society we lose this voice and often become swept up by the masses, trying to fit into a world that doesn’t celebrate diversity, that pushes ideas about the way we should live and doesn’t ask us about what we really want. I was inspired on these hikes by the twisted almost tortured contortions of the trees and wild forests, how they appeared so beautiful, unique, nonuniform. These hikes helped me to reflect on the lessons I’ve learnt and ignited a need to share some of these insights with others.
This is a very sentimental body of work for me, it marks a point in my art career where I feel I’ve begun to come into my own as an artist and I hope that is reflected in the quality of the works. In this series, I employ techniques that I have been using since the beginning of my practice, specifically fluid pouring to replicate the textures in nature, such as the bark, trees and cliff faces. The unpredictable nature of pouring reflects the chaotic design of nature itself.
I really do believe if we can all recognise and become in tune with our inner knowing, then we have so much power over the choices we make and ultimately the life we choose to live. I hope these works and their poems encourage others to break through the shackles our society has made for them, and follow their own path to create meaningful, influential, respectful lives that aim to build each other up and create a better world to live in.