202006 Intermission - Time-lapse video commission

Concept:
See and Mah both maintain independent cross-cultural art practices concerned with contemporary Australian hybrid identity; with this as their foundation, the two artists will create an original performative large-scale artwork that explores this as they negotiate meaning through collaborative painting. Processes that will be recorded in time-lapse as the pair build up layer and resolve their artwork. A dialogic experience just as important as the artwork itself taking place over a single studio session.
Content:
Separated by a generation See and Mah both grew up in Perth, Western Australia, during very different times. Mah immigrating during a period of anti-Chinese sentiment, while See grew up during the overly-mindful multiculturalist decades that ensued. Experiences that both these Australians reflect on when navigating their own contemporary Australian identity. At present See is undertaking his doctoral research at Edith Cowan University exploring dialogic cross-cultural collaborative painting. Due to this research See and Mah have been collaborating since early 2020. A collaboration that has maintained interest for both parties due to their very contrasting approach to figurative painting.
During prior collaborations, See and Mah have discovered they both share strong memories of video game culture in their youth, something they wish to explore as a metaphorical platform for this collaborative artwork. Therefore, the work utilises both the playful and menacing aspects of video game aesthetics, iconography and symbolism-in combination with contemporary cultural tropes-to negotiate their ideas of hybrid Australian identity.
Artwork:
The artwork involves drawing and painting on a large archival sheet of paper of fabric. Materials used include archival and non-hazardous gesso, soya sauce and inks. Collaboration with Australian artist, Harrison See
Yagen Square, Western Australia