National Works on Paper 2020 Finalist

Very happy to announce that my work The Borning Son has been chosen as a finalist in the National Works on Paper at Morning Peninsula Regional Gallery opening in December 2020 (hopefully in see you there in person).

The Borning Son​, 2001-2020

My art practice includes theatrical photography, painting, drawing, collage, sculpture and performance. Through my work I explore dominant narratives of Australian folklore, mythology, heritage and the transformative nature of ritual in society. In contrast to the complexities of producing staged photographs and paintings, my collages such as this one are made spontaneously and enable me to harness the fluidity and freedom of the subconscious to conjure up new stories.

The Borning Son​, has been nineteen years in the making. Here I have combined elements from two pre-existing works, ​The Unborn Child,​ 2001 made from Chinese joss paper and a portrait of my son wearing a halloween mask, titled, ​El Niño​, 2012. The title means ‘the boy’ in Spanish, but is also a play on words referring to ​El Niño, t​ he destructive climate phenomenon of the same name. This new image speaks to me of human longing, mortality, dreams, deities, desires and fulfilment.

Jacqui Stockdale