This solo exhibition by Sunday Jemmott, “Diaries of a Rainbow Fish” seeks to re-contextualise the classic children’s picture book, “Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister. The simple narrative follows a uniquely rainbow scaled fish, who must share in order to be happy.
However, Jemmott, guided by found imagery of fish, and text excerpts from the book, likens this slow relinquishing of identity by “Rainbow Fish” as an allegory for growing up queer in Australia.
This exhibition aims to harmonise the naivety that the “Rainbow Fish” conjures with the trauma of queer shame. Striking a careful balance of play and melancholia, Sunday Jemmott has created a whimsical installation, a sanctuary, for the pictured fish to swim freely once again.
This exhibition aims to harmonise the naivety that the “Rainbow Fish” conjures with the trauma of queer shame. Striking a careful balance of play and melancholia, Sunday Jemmott has created a whimsical installation, a sanctuary, for the pictured fish to swim freely once again.
