Tracey Moffatt
Adventure Series 7, 2004
colour print on Fujiflex paper
132 × 114cm
Moffatt’s work has been described as ‘photographic paintings’, she addresses themes such a racism, treatment of women, myth and the day to day conflicts we have with ourselves. She’s an Australian photographer and video maker, who was born in Brisbane 1960 and was born an Aboriginal child before being raised in a white family. At the time of her childhood Australia were in debate about breaking away from England, her generation was the first not to have a sense of belonging as they try to figure out who they are as they have very complex background historically.
She grew up with a brand new media wave of images that were unlike anything anyone had seen before, they were blurry and unposed and found in magazines and on the television. The 70’s were about innovative change and blasts of colour, they were fuel for the generations emotions, ideas and outlook on the world which made art therapeutic, dream like self therapy.
“These photographs open a door to an imagined but real world, they challenge us to come to terms with our fears and prejudices and to take the first step towards over coming then” – Daniela Benelli 2006
Moffatt’s uses constructed images that look like film stills, she uses this as a tool to explore important cultural and social issues that make you look twice, each different ‘story’ addresses a different issue. Her work relates to mine as she heavily works around the idea of self discovery and finding ways to hide yourself from reality, my work is about finding the right balance and not getting engulfed in the mirror. I like how her work looks simple on the surface but once realise what the issue is the image is based around, the image opens a whole new door. I hope to execute my images with the same way Moffatt does by asking questions with her work. Our work might not look the same but the process of dealing with self discovery and everyday tradiges.
“Tracey Moffatt invents dreams in order to speak about reality in a direct and universally comprehensible way”- Fillipo Maggia 2006
REFRENCING
Books:
Tracey Moffatt- Between Dreams and Reality, published by Skira Editore S.p.A, edited by Fillipo Maggia 2006
Cream : contemporary art in culture, Publisher: Phaidon , 1998 , Authors Toni Morrison and Julia Kristeva
Websites
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1270
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/tracey-moffatt-2669
Journals:
Title: Flights of fancy.(Tracey Moffatt)
Author: Tang, Jeannine
Is Part Of: Afterimage, May-June, 2006, Vol.33(6), p.38(2) [Peer Reviewed Journal]
Representation 