DIASPORA — samantha taylor
DIASPORA addresses discourse surrounding transcultural identity and emphasises the necessity for protection of Asiatic customs. Through the application of sculptural objects, archived personal effects and photographic documentation, Samantha Taylor depicts biographical accounts in relation to the diasporic consciousness.
This body of work surveys methodologies of preserving South-East Asian customs within the context of Australian suburbia. Samantha attempts to fuse Eastern and Western ideologies, resulting in the development of a third culture – a standpoint within the in-between.
Samantha initiates a dialogue that addresses issues of marginalisation, racism, anecdotal histories and shared cultural experiences. Through intensive introspection she concludes that individual entities are strengthened through formation of a collective, resulting in a unified front.
SAMANTHA TAYLOR is a Singaporean-Australianmultidisciplinary artist who lives and works on Wathaurong land. Her practice involves installation, sculptural objects, performative gestures and photographic documentation. Through extensive research, Samantha addresses discourse regarding transcultural identity and the diasporic consciousness. The process of this introspection is enabled through preservation of the personal archive sitting alongside auto-ethnographic diaristic accounts.
Samantha has held solo exhibitions at Platform Arts Sex, Love, Cock and Soul (2018) and Noir Gallery The Great Wall of Chaos (2018). She has been selected to participate in a Singapore-based biennial, Power Play: Invisible Lines (2020). Samantha graduated with a Bachelor of Design Arts (Visual Arts) from LaSalles College International, Melbourne.
Installation View — (L) Singaporean-ish?, printed on Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl, 2018. (R) My homeland is my PLAYGROUND!, decal, 2020.
Works in order: (1) The Asian Squat. Rendition II, single channel video (02:22), 2019-2020. (2) Finish. All. Your. Rice!, air-dried clay, wax, beading and wood, 2020. (3) Remnants of Lunar NY, faux scallop shell, plaster and wood, 2020. (4) Singaporean-ish?, printed on Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl, 2018. (5) My homeland is my PLAYGROUND!, decal, 2020. (6) Modified Tradition, printed on Ilford Galerie Smooth Pearl, 2020. (7) Imported Aromatics, air-dried clay, herbs, spices, wood and bedside table, 2020. (8) Step 1: Accept the Ang Pao with 2 Hands, ang pao, 2020. (9) Step 2: Xie Xie = Thanks, Thread, 2020. (10) Yum Cha = Drink Tea, air-dried clay, tea leaves, personal effects and bedside table, 2020. (11) Delicacy. Rendition II., plaster, acrylic paint and personal effects, 2019-2020. (12) For My Mama. Rendition II, found objects, personal effects, wood and coffee table, 2019-2020.
Join us for a Zoom Artist Talk — Anindita Banerjee talks with Samantha Taylor and Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson about the diasporic experience Thurs OCT 15, 7PM - 7.40PM
*The easing of Covid-19 restrictions in regional Victoria may mean that the gallery can be physically open during the exhibition period.