ENOUGH

“Enough” - a time-based, raw clay installation that engages with misogynistic culture, prevalent in both Australian and international society. 

In recent years a series of violent, misogynistic crimes against women has enraged me. These acts, coupled with the loss of women’s liberty in many settings world wide, have  ignited a series of massive marches across nations, both in Australia and abroad. In parallel, the ‘Me Too’ movement is raging across the planet, representing an outpouring of frustration and desire for change. It is my belief the end of such atrocious behaviour is coming. Women are standing up and saying ‘Enough!’ we have had Enough!

The unfired clay that constitutes this work represents the rawness of my feelings. It speaks of

vulnerability and a latent potential for transformation, just as the fight for equity is ongoing and

incomplete. Vessels are wheel thrown, assembled and altered.  Some are painted white to reference the suffragette movement that started in the 1900s. White dresses are symbolic in women’s marches in many countries. In Australia, this leitmotif is a key element in protests, used to raise awareness of the extent of violence towards women and as a symbol of solidarity.

The installation engages with diversity and inclusivity through the incorporation of a heterogenous range of sculptural vessels. We observe feminine and masculine shapes, of different heights and forms, as well as a broad chromatic palette. Vessels are installed as if they were standing or sitting in protest. They are decked with a canopy of demonstration signs, some hand-painted with raw clay and pigment, others obscure, representing women's rights, but not fully formed and concrete. This multitude of vessels are marching towards a series of cylindrical gaudy, raw clay plinths. Over time these tawdry permeable reservoirs, leak, distend, implode and break down into a shallow pool of water. For me, the collapse of these lurid forms represents the end of toxic masculinity in our society.

It is my optimistic belief that we are on the cusp of social change and that I will see my grandchildren grow up in a very different world from the one I and the women who came before have experienced.