There is a harsh truth that we learn to accept as the glib certainties of youth give way to the pragmatic realities of adult life: Things are rarely as simple as they seem and our perceptions of factual truth are subject to constant flux and upheaval.  

There was a time when I believed that (despite some isolated incidents) the basic moral principles of our society were somehow embedded within the operational practices of the major institutions that posited themselves as the defenders our most vulnerable individuals.

 

I can no longer hold onto that position of confidence and in that process of disillusion, I have been especially saddened by the growing evidence of the injustices done to children placed in the care of religious institutions.

 

This body of work is an angry response to that betrayal of trust.  It is an attempt to apply a caustic, mocking visual language to the rampant hypocrisy it addresses.  It juxtaposes the frivolous imagery of 1970s 'Knitting Patterns' packaging with the equally bland and supercilious visual language of kitsch religious souvenirs.

 

The material incorporated in these visual pieces has all been sourced from local op-shops, those depositories of discarded consumer goods that have outlived their original purpose within the domestic spaces where they were once coveted objects.

The visual tableaux in this exhibition mix paper cut-outs (mounted on cardboard) and physical ornaments, all arrayed in tiny, theatrical dioramas that are simply documented 'in camera' without digital manipulation.

 

The work is intended to be a sardonic examination of issues that are being played out in shadowy institutions that hide themselves behind the 'everyday' reality of a society that should be deeply disturbed but seems instead to be largely indifferent.

 

2014