“Decolonist”
Katie West
6 May → 4 June 2016
Back Space
Decolonist is a multi-sensory installation by Katie West, invoking reflection about the land we occupy as Australians and the nation that inhabits our minds.
The process of decolonisation is reimagined as a personal meditation practice. Breathing out the traumas of colonisation, breathing in a decolonised state of mind and giving life to philosophy and action that might dominate a decolonised Australian reality. Artist Katie West presents the process of reflecting on the impact of colonisation upon her sense of self as an Aboriginal woman - developing her own method of decolonisation that simultaneously confronts the sources of trauma and inspires healing through creating a decolonised identity.
Video works and fibre sculpture come together to create a meditation space. Inviting the viewer to participate in the practice or simply observe and listen. Decolonist asks what is your decolonised identity?
For this project Katie West began with the question, what would it feel like to live in a society dominated by Indigenous world views and philosophies?
This project was developed through the Next Wave Kickstart program.
Katie West is an artist and Yindjibarndi woman based in Noongar Ballardong Country. Her practice is grounded in the understanding that the health of human society and Ngurra (Country) mirror one another. Through installations of found objects and sound transmitted via radios, textiles, video and photography, Katie’s works invite attention to the ways we weave our stories, places, histories, and futures.