Eight: The Shift & Saudade

As part of a regional exhibition tour, Margaret River artists Christopher Young and Elisa Markes-Young will collectively be presenting ‘Eight: The Shift’ and ‘Saudade’ at the Albany Town Hall.

 The exhibitions open on November 9 and will continue to December 7, 2021.

 Previously shown in Perth and most recently at the Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, the exhibitions explore challenging topics including the complexity of end-of-life matters as well as migrant experiences.

Eight: The Shift

 ‘Eight: The Shift’ is a body of photographic work by Western Australian artist Christopher Young. It looks at end-of-life cultural experiences; how people respond to such experiences; and the environments and institutions they encounter.

 Utilising spaces such as hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and funeral homes across the South West, it addresses the paradox of highly-charged, emotive events in seemingly sterile and controlled spaces.

 This project stems from visits to funeral homes when Christopher’s father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The first was a macabre behind-the-scenes tour and later for his funeral. He found both experiences disturbing and thus far unique in his adult life.

 “My relationship with my father was distant and often dysfunctional. Our collective apathy left us with limited shared adult experiences as well as an inability to communicate. Despite his diagnosis and the associated ‘deadline’, we never found the language to sit down to discuss his looming death.”

 Despite it being inevitable, death is not something we freely discuss. It is often seen as a taboo subject, especially intergenerationally. The passing of a loved one can be further complicated by the foreignness of the surrounding experiences.

 Christopher did an artist residency in Albany in June 2019 and looks forward to presenting work made during that time to the community.

 The project was made possible by the Australian Government’s regional arts program, the Regional Arts Fund. The Regional Arts Fund is administered in Western Australia by Regional Arts WA. The regional tour is also supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

Saudade

 After moving countries repeatedly (born in Poland, moved to Germany as a teenager, now in Australia) and living in three languages, artist Elisa Markes-Young feels very much caught between two worlds - she doesn't belong anywhere, living between ‘here' and ‘there', between ‘now' and ‘then'.

 Elisa’s work is inspired by memories from her childhood. It is a result of a profound feeling of displacement and loss but it is not about anguish. It is an attempt to hold on to a moment in time, to prevent it from passing. She focusses on positive memories tied to the innocence of childhood to balance the feelings of alienation and not belonging.

 Her textile and paper works are made almost entirely by hand. The time and effort that goes into creating the elaborate pieces are a measure of affect and emotion.

 The work in “Saudade” is intended to convey the feeling of a bitter-sweet melancholy that the Polish call ‘tęsknota'. The word describes a deeply emotional state and when referring to memories experienced as a longing can be translated as ‘nostalgia'. However, the Portuguese ‘saudade' captures the meaning of ‘tęsknota' more precisely.

 ‘Saudade’ has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.