Artists statement:
The world is on the move and people of different cultural identities are figuring out how to get along. Nowhere is this more evident than Melbourne; once an isolated outpost of the British Empire, now a melting pot where a quarter of the inhabitants were born overseas.
The scene shows two cultures observing each other; the street artist’s burqa clad woman photographs passers-by on a night out with her mobile phone. The subject’s reactions range from ambivalence to intrigue.
The tuxedos and the burqa are symbols that highlight the dichotomy between the revelry of western freedom and the oppression of a middle eastern religion. The presence of the mobile phone hints at our interconnected globalised world and its empowering effects for some communities.
Wall List:
The Lurker in the Burqa, 2016, C-Type archival print, 30x40cm.
Ben Rook 