Georgia Smedley - Flood Daughters: 24 May - 10th June
Opening Thursday 24th of May from 6pm.
Flood Daughters explores familial grief and absence. This series looks at the complexities of grief and the ways it can be understood through cartography. My mothers mother was as maternal as she was secretive and carried the shame of illegitimate pregnancy and adoption with her to the grave. Flood Daughters maps out the weight that familial grief and secrecy can carry in the years after death, when shame has come to pass.
During the second world war my mothers mother fell pregnant to a soldier from New Zealand. After carrying the child to full term, a private adoption was arranged, as was custom for unmarried catholic women during the time. Flood Daughters seeks to understand and explore grief within the feminine narrative by understanding memory as evidence of absence.
I would like to acknowledge the complexities of grief and landscape, specifically the Australian landscape and it’s barbaric history. I recognise that immense grief and disparity already exists within the locations that I’ve been working on, and would like to pay my respects to the traditional custodians of Wathaurong country. I would like to pay my respects to elders past and present who may view this work.
Flood Daughters explores familial grief and absence. This series looks at the complexities of grief and the ways it can be understood through cartography. My mothers mother was as maternal as she was secretive and carried the shame of illegitimate pregnancy and adoption with her to the grave. Flood Daughters maps out the weight that familial grief and secrecy can carry in the years after death, when shame has come to pass.
During the second world war my mothers mother fell pregnant to a soldier from New Zealand. After carrying the child to full term, a private adoption was arranged, as was custom for unmarried catholic women during the time. Flood Daughters seeks to understand and explore grief within the feminine narrative by understanding memory as evidence of absence.
I would like to acknowledge the complexities of grief and landscape, specifically the Australian landscape and it’s barbaric history. I recognise that immense grief and disparity already exists within the locations that I’ve been working on, and would like to pay my respects to the traditional custodians of Wathaurong country. I would like to pay my respects to elders past and present who may view this work.
