Statement
My current series “Arpaïs & Sebrack” is loosely based on my parents’ disastrous marriage, telling the story of a coming together of culturally different beings, familial concerns, betrayal, damage, and a falling apart. It incorporates elements from their native cultures; the Samoan “pe’a” tattoo for the masculine character, and Dutch Delft-inspired tiles and colours for the feminine character.
As an avid reader, I have always loved creation stories, myths, and legends regardless of the culture. As an artist, I created my own mythology of an imagined land and god-like beasts, and I paint scenes from these stories in my series “Myth Donina”.
While my Arpaïs & Sebrack series has been singled out from other stories have painted as part of my Myth Donina series, it still forms part of an encapsulated mythology.
My works in both series depict an imagined land of gods, creatures, and machines that populate a colourful landscape. The creatures appear across several works as protagonists and witnesses, in much the same way multiple characters might be woven through a series of stories or books.
The flat, abstracted
landscapes can appear stage-like, with the creatures taking on a
performative aspect, seemingly caught mid-act with a self-conscious sense of being
observed. The result is a series of characters moving towards a pre-determined fate
with an air of pantomime
Curriculum vitae
Exhibitions
2023 Solo Exhibition, Art to Art Gallery
2023 Group Exhibition, Becker Minty, Sydney
2022 Group exhibition, Art to Art Gallery
2022 The Other Artfair, Sydney
2022 The Other Artfair, Melbourne
2021 Group exhibition, Art to Art Gallery
2021 Art to Art Unearthed Prize, finalist
2021 Artlovers Australia Prize, finalist
2020 Art2Life (Nicholas Wilton) International Art Exhibition (juried)
Collections
Private and corporate collections, Australia, USA, Europe & UK