Dirty Laundry
Domestic Violence is primarily hidden in Australian society crossing all social groups and cultural backgrounds. The statistics concerning women murdered by a current or intimate partner in this country stands at an average of two per week.
In my work Dirty Laundry, a Hills Hoist clothesline – an iconic symbol of Australian domesticity – stands centrally, surrounded by carefully folded white female lingerie. These undergarments represent the exact number of women murdered in violent circumstances so far this year and also the fact that most violence against women is concealed.
A number of these pre-owned clothing items have been shot, stabbed or torn representing common acts of violence. The folding of the lingerie refers to the ritual consideration I have given to these victims after death. I consider them individuals and not just a statistic. Placing the items in neat rows gives order to the chaos of these victims’ prior lives. One lone garment hangs from the line as an expression of the loneliness and isolation many of these victims experienced.
I encourage the viewer to pause, to reflect and to take action in their own way to stop this unacceptable behaviour.
