DISPERSIA

“Just as none of us is outside or beyond geography, none of us is completely free from the struggle over geography. That struggle is complex and interesting because it is not only about soldiers and cannons but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings.”

 ― Edward W. Said, Culture and Imperialism 1993

DISPERSIA is an exhibition about identity. Through notions of personal history, cultural memory and the trans-generational impact of migration and diaspora the artists in this exhibition chart tensions within their past and present personal histories. The lived experience becomes a powerful map of memory, as the works on show emphasise the importance of place building, weaving their own stories into a broader social and cultural narrative.

In this exhibition, artistic practice is used as a tool to visually communicate and reveal the importance of personal history in the development of identity. The artists delve deeper into the exhibition’s overarching themes of colonisation, immigration and inter-generational trauma. A visual exploration of place and space is initiated as the works create a dialogue through the intermingling of stories and aesthetics. The diverse collection of works, in their approach to and expression of identity, act as a map of meaning navigating the densities of cultural memory and experience.