Spinifex Series

This body of work has reference to the spiky spinifex grass which is widely found in the desert region of Australia and the story associated with the Spinifix people and their land within the Great Victoria Desert, in Western Australia. The story is about migration, like that of my own whom fled Vietnam in the 70s as a refugee boat person. The Spinifex people were forced out of their homeland in the 1950s as a result of the Maralinga atomic testing by the British and the Australian government.

The technical work of 'Spinifex' derives from the combined process of coiling in clay and the weaving of pine needles in basketry. Both of which have great influence on my work. Paper clay is used either with an oxide application or with a coloured stain added to the body of the clay.

I am fascinated by the intricacy and delicacy, yet simplicity of this technique. The marking left behind as a result of this combined technique not only provide me with texture and some nuances but also represent the honesty in the work. In other words, these marks have not been altered. It shows the process in the making, which is central to my work.