2018 - 2019

Ramsay Art Prize Finalist 2019

Art Gallery of South Australia, 
Adelaide, Australia

Photographs by Tarryn Gill

Tricksters

Mixed media (inc. EPE foam, moving LED lights coded by Steve Berrick, hand-sewn synthetic fabrics, rabbit fur, threads, sequins, glitter, synthetic hair, hand carved wood, nylon and leather gloves,
Overall Dimensions: 4900mm W x 2600mm H x 300mm D

Tricksters is a swarm of dreamlike shape-shifting figures. Hand stitched animal familiars merge into self-portraits in Gill’s dark wonderland of sparkling forms which explore transformations of the self as well as phases of uncertainty and change. Drawing upon ideas around parapsychology, alchemy and the collective unconscious, Gill finds Jung’s archetype of the Trickster particularly useful. For Jung, the Trickster is fond of malicious pranks but can also appear as a saviour. Gill’s spirits or demons appear as if in a dream, wielding fire – perhaps to light the way, perhaps to destroy.