Artist Statement

In my view, 2020 is being defined by challenges and change. Over the summer, fires ravaged this country, leaving whole cities smothered in toxic smoke for months and scaring the landscape beyond recognition. Something I think people struggle to fully understand is that we each have a direct affect on the natural world every time we get in the car or turn on the lights. Our actions and choices fuel climate change and through this, directly impact the increasing severity of the fire season and other natural disasters. 

My work, Corrupted Touch, speaks to this by presenting altered and deformed photographs in the form of colour Polaroids. The physical process of creating these works is harsh and destructive yet produces something beautiful, just like the bushland regenerating after the catastrophic fires. This process involves subjecting the film to extreme heat, rupturing and deforming the surface, leaving it pitted and scared beneath a glossy veneer. While the primary subject is my own body, the abstract elements push forward, culminating in multifaceted photographs that present painterly layers, and offer new depths for the eye to explore. 

There is rage and violation in the process of creating these works, yet the results offer a peaceful and warm embrace of colour and form.