an (other) Mallee History

Statement

This installation work, an(other) Mallee History, signalled a return to a painting methodology, although it is heavily informed by the original installation of tin cans, The Mallee: a history. Instead of installing the actual objects in rows along a wall, this work comprises an installation of 80 small paintings in a replica, aerial configuration on a wall. The individual canvases depict an abandoned tin can (further reifying them), with white vinyl adhesive text underneath denoting the farmers surname as in the previous installation. The rich painterly surface and texture of the works reference the late Rembrandt’s interest in not only his own mortal decay, but the world around him. With such minimal means, Rembrandt was able to lay bare the inner frailty of humanity.

My long interest in the exulted still-life tradition in Western painting is parodied by not only the selection of the non-precious discarded object being chosen as worthy subject for this genre, but the installation of 80 components challenges the very singularity of painting’s historical position.

As in The Mallee: a history, the tin cans serve as metaphors for the settlers who once attempted to tame this harsh land. In installation, they are a monument and commemoration of this battle.