MAY 12, 2023 - JUNE 10, 2023
In this new exhibition, Naina returns to his signature medium bleach, which he uses to sear photogram-esque silhouettes onto surfaces. Bleach being an apt metaphor for colonisation, which he has used in this exhibition in combination with luscious green textiles and paper, alongside his classic black textiles. In this new series, the bold and rich hues of the rainforest reflect Country, the land which is being systematically destroyed by ‘His Colony’.
Through a domestic lens, Naina scrutinises the impact of colonisation on every aspect aboriginal culture. The everyday setting is built through subtle signifiers such as curtains, cutlery, children’s toys, and household waste, which is transformed into political messaging through Naina’s bleach and manipulation.
The reoccurring motif of the fence features heavily throughout this series, which Naina has forged from a plastic toy. Fences have significant metaphorical significance: claiming stolen land, delineating ‘us and them’, incarceration, separation, idealist suburbia. Even more sinister is the implication of innocent play perpetuating colonial ideals without consideration or context. Aboriginal identity and culture as plaything for His Colony is evident in this series.
The cornerstone work of the exhibition is a flag created by Naina which is emblazoned with a Union Jack, tacked together by safety pins, and defaced with bleach. The bleach is liberally applied in pools creating yellowed archipelagos among a green expanse. The Union Jack gives way to cloud like imagery from the application of bleach. A liminal space between earth and sky, cultures and understanding.
Marginalised, Sterilised, Categorised, Bastardised, Patronised, Colonised, Commercialised, Victimised, Pressurised, Politicalised, Terrorised, Institutionalised, Brutalised, Normalised, Privatised, Monopolised, Scandalised, Minimised, Sensitised, Demobilised, Sanitised, Personalised, Demoralised, Christianised, Capitalised, Criminalised, Dehumanised, Demonised, Philosophised, Chastised, Unrecognised, Uncivilised, Plagiarised, Disenfranchised, Vandalised, Imperialised, again and again and again.
C.Naina, 2023.
