‘This exhibition extends my work in portrait and landscape, and delves into their inherent narrative. Tracing my ancestral stories across Country, these works are imbued with a female, First Nations lens and a sense of the gothic.’
Thea Anamara Perkins has long used her practice to question the way First Nations peoples are portrayed in contemporary Australia. Covering the walls of Carriageworks’ public space, Stockwoman is Thea's most ambitious work to date and challenges the notion of who qualifies as a heroic national figure.
'The idea for this work came about because I went to a friend’s house and her parents had all these prints of Ned Kelly on their wall ... It got me thinking about the foundational mythology of our nation.'
Known for her intimate representations of family and Country, these murals generate new possibilities for the artist both technically and stylistically at scale. From little things, big things grow...
Installation images by Zan Wimberley, courtesy Carriageworks. Portrait courtesy Sydney Morning Hearld.
