A Personal Geography

A Personal Geography is my first art installation. It was selected for Land at Manly Art Gallery & Museum held from 3 November – 3 December 2017. Curated by Katherine Roberts, this group exhibition explored ‘land’, as a noun, a verb, a place, an idea, a possibility, a presence, a contested space.

CONCEPT
My family migrated to Australia when I was four years old. Having been assimilated, I recall nostalgic yet incomplete memories of where I was born combined with feelings ranging from alienation and rejection to love and belonging in Australia. Drawing from two cultures, I map recollections and emotions triggered by my experience of resettlement. In the creative process, fire is instrumental to connecting with core memories of family gatherings around candlelight in The Philippines. Sourcing family heirlooms and rituals juxtaposed with vegetation from the local environment in Sydney, this informal, personal geography celebrates the pluralism of being Australian. Directly referencing the land (floorboards) of Manly Art Gallery & Museum points to the gaps, the sliding and subjective nature of memory; looking at the past with an awareness of the present. Through mapping, land becomes a way to integrate parts of identity while accepting the complexities of memory.

Pictures: © Anne Numont, A Personal Geography (detail), 2017. Handmade paper, fire, acrylic, graphite, gesso, cotton, rice paste, PVA, foamcore, vegetation and natural dyes sourced from Sydney: Freshwater, Manly, Shelly Beach and Primrose Park, sampaguita scent. Dimensions: variable. Images: courtesy the artist. Below: photo of me with the artwork taken by Katherine Roberts.