Nostalgia serves as the anchor that burrows into the layers of our past, providing wistful comfort in the experiences life may have deigned us or leaving us with the bittersweet residue of what remains lost. “Future Past” explores the profound impact of nostalgia through the perspectives of three emerging Brisbane/Meeanjin based artists.
Artists: Kathy Mack, Leisa Turner & Emily Puxty.
Kathy Mack’s work sheds light on the complexity of the migrant experience, drawing from her Croatian heritage and the duality of living between two distinct cultures. Hovering in the liminal space created by this existence, Mack’s artworks give visual representation to the less visible and often ignored effects of migration with its ongoing implications of displacement and loss, fragmenting and distorting the unstable experience of memory.
Leisa Turner’s photographic work resurrects childhood memories to evoke the yearning for a less complicated time. By presenting images of broken ceramics as surrogates for the human condition, the artist embraces the beauty of imperfection through the lens of motherhood. Tenderly stitching the cracked facades, Turner rejects society’s inclination to venerate perfection by mending what will always remain inherently flawed.
Emily Puxty’s ornate ceramic forms respond to a bygone era, reaching across and beyond time to reclaim aesthetic agency. These alluring objects possess a familiarity and value, reminiscent of cherished ceramic keepsakes from childhood homes. However, they transcend mere familiarity by pushing beyond their glistening veneer. Puxty’s work challenges us to reconsider the ways in which contemporary art can intentionally embrace decoration, questioning our notions of high art, everyday experience, and the often marginalised history of decorative art as a whole.
