THE PAINTING

The painting “Portrait of an Exploding Terrorist” was completed in 2006 and was a response to Israel’s U.S-sponsored invasion of Lebanon in 2006 and Israel’s ongoing, U.S-sponsored occupation of Palestine. It is an attempt to illustrate the death and destruction, on a mass scale, that accompanies “western-style democracy”, where its economic model of global capitalism relentlessly seeks to profit from “underdeveloped” countries.

I’m trying to express the terror that leading western ‘democracies’ inflict upon countries who attempt to defy this unsustainable, economic system.

THE VIDEO

The video contains documentary footage of myself carrying the painting “Portrait of an Exploding Terrorist” through various public (and private) spaces in Sydney in 2007.

The project was called The Carriers – Local Terrain, and toured to various cities in Australia including Sydney (via Casula Powerhouse), Perth, Fremantle, Brisbane and Canberra. It was presented by kultour and financed by the Australia Council. Many thanks to the staff at Casula Powerhouse for shooting this footage.

The aim of The Carriers Project (ongoing since 2004) is to expose contemporary art to audiences beyond the traditional gallery space and to inspire debate about art and politics within the local communities.

I am interested in taking 2 dimensional paintings or drawings into public or private spaces via the simple act of carrying them as one would carry any object in public. So far this type of exhibition method has involved individual and group formations.