Arthur Nyakuengama
The quilt is an object of domesticity, intimacy, comfort, and safety. The patchwork itself is a bringing together of elements to form a new whole. The imagery in this quilt was influenced by the late-night incognito mode googling I remember from my teens. On my phone, under the covers, searching constantly to find corroboration of my feelings, and a community for myself to fit in to. Piecing together my understanding of my identity from quiz results and long archived forum postings, wondering how to hide a binder from my parents. This piece transforms the messy, exciting and frightening process of finding oneself into an object of comfort to go to bed with.
Arthur Nyakuengama is an artist currently living and studying in Naarm (Melbourne). Their practise explores the material and visual languages of commodity, sexuality, and gender with a particular focus on contrasting the private and public spheres. Through dissection and recombination their work investigates the hidden meanings, hierarchies and contradictions present in the mass visual output of contemporary life.