Fiona Dalwood
Exhibition opening: “Cell” by Fiona Dalwood, opening 14th Feb, 69 Smith St gallery, Collingwood VIC.
Melbourne artist Fiona Dalwood continues her exploration of tactile history and ephemeral trace through documenting prisons. Images of Dalwood’s visit to San Francisco’s infamous Alcatraz prison are combined with moody institutions including historic J-Ward asylum & gaol in Ararat.
“I wish to raise questions about how we perceive insanity and criminality,” says Dalwood, “by looking closely at places where people spent entire lifetimes incarcerated. There is a history of institutional cruelty in the way we treat unwanted citizens. This work looks at the ways we influence our environment, imbuing our living spaces with memory and narrative. I have visited many now-defunct prisons and mental asylums, places some may say are haunted with bad memories and restless spirits. Walking through them elicits a sense of reverence and a desire to make no sound and leave no imprint on walls steeped with violent history. Though no longer in use, what remains in these places is an undeniable sense of isolation, both physical and emotional, as experienced by the inmates who lived there and those charged with their care.”
This post was submitted by Fiona Dalwood.
