Renee FARRANT
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Title: Internment
Medium: paper, barbwire, coffee and canvas Dimensions: 180 cm square My work ‘Internment’ represents a humble sub-set of the larger ANZAC story. For me, this work is a tribute to all humanity past and present; that we steel ourselves onward to find a sustainable solution for peace. Her beautiful face was framed with the graceful lines of time and memories. The appearance of her oriental heritage did not prepare me for her strong western accent. She tells me she is Japanese and her childhood story directed me to a fascinating, but rarely spoken chapter in Australian war history. Born in Australia but with Japanese heritage, they were interned as ‘enemy aliens living in Australia’. Many of the internees were second and third generation residents from Darwin, Broome and Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. Sadly, most of these Aussies were repatriated to Japan after the war in 1946. In contrast to the black swan, my swan is white; her outwardly appearance becomes a cause for internment. Once a place of abode, the nest becomes a prison. Renee Farrant’s art is expressed through paper. All works involve a process of paper-cutting, folding and weaving. Her approach is experimental and intuitive. Her paper-cut works have found their way to a public art installation, a book cover, illustration, music video and festival theatre. |