Even the most banal or humble object can have strong ethnological significance and tell our story. Perhaps the yearning to surround ourselves with objects is one of the defining traits of being human. This series brings together my own eclectic collection of objects. I have specifically selected those that I find intriguing, playful or have an emotional bond with. I believe that no matter whether they are small or large, expensive or cheap, or from different ages, objects that we connect with develop a certain dignity over time, reflecting our desires about the past or the present or about who we are or wish to be. 

 

This work was created for a collaborative exhibition, Parallel Visions, 12 March - 25 April 2020 at Museo Italiano, Melbourne.

An excerpt from the exhibition catalogue:

"This exhibition fosters the cross-fertilisation of ideas across the boundaries of art and design practice and design history. It showcases the work of four artists, an exhibition designer and a design historian who together have explored the relationship between their cultural heritage, creative practice and academic research. Looking at the influence of 20th century Italian design history the exhibition embraces the cultural context and transformative role that creativity plays in the art and design of the period through a diverse range of work including paintings, photographs, sculptural objects, display systems and virtual reality experiences.

Artists Liliana Barbieri, Anna Caione, Sarina Lirosi and Wilma Tabacco, have each responded to the ideas and artefacts of selected 20th Century Italian designers – Bruno Munari, Gaetano Pesce, Alessandro Mendini and Giò Pomodoro, while Flavia Marcello presents the ‘birthplace’ of Italian design Milan Triennale, through VR reconstructions and Karen Fermo takes cues from the Giuseppe Pagano 1930s demountable travelling exhibition system for the exhibition’s display stand.

By responding to the ideas and design artefacts of selected 20th century Italian designers, architects and artists they have provided a springboard to expand current art, research and exhibition practice by experimenting with unconventional media and visual approaches that inspire new connections between art and design. This perspective of design history provides opportunities to reposition migrant cultural histories into a unique contemporary artistic context."

 

Here are a selection of works from my series