Week 3

Destiny Deacon

This weeks readings was an abstract from ‘Twelve Australian photo artists’ and focused on Destiny Deacon, who comments on the urban Aboriginal experience through a range of media including photography. Her work has been described as interpreting contemporary society through a political framework, and we were asked if its necessary for the viewer to be familiar with the political ideas she is referencing in order to appreciate her work. I think yes and no. Like all Aboriginal art and just art in general, normally it is what the viewer sees and what they get out of the piece of work. Unless the artists wants you to feel a certain way, then the viewer needs to be informed of the issues surrounding the piece. Although in Deacons case, most of the pieces you can easily read what she is trying to portray in her imagery, such as the pice below. Portraying White Australians tight grip on the Indigenous community, by her common theme of using dolls throughout her work.

The Armory Show, Destiny Deacon (1997)

Destiny Deacon is one of the most interesting and controversial contemporary Aboringal artists, creating photographs that explore the layers of identity. Through photography Deacon plays a role in developing new modes of Indigenous cultural expression at the same time as exploring and representing something of her own personality. Many of her images seem to portray the struggle to fit in, an anxiety to reconcile conflicting parts of the self.

I really enjoy her work personally, and think its very interesting how she takes everyday objects, dolls, and gives them so much personality and story behind them. And think the pieces reach out to a broad audience on a number of different levels, because the struggle to unite pieces of ourselves to find a place in the world is something we all share.

‘I see myself as rescuing them from the people that would buy them. I’m saving them, adopting them.’ Destiny Deacon comments on her use of dolls within her photographs.