Requiem for Arthur Phillip (Termite Studies I), 2026
acrylic paint, mixed media, rice paper on canvas
(H) 120 x (W) 100 x (D) 6 cm
Image: artist
Requiem for Arthur Phillip (Termite Studies I) reconstructs the colonial landing portrait as a fragile structure. Drawing on the authority staged in Francis Wheatley’s portrait of Arthur Phillip, the painting replaces traditional brush modelling with thread like paint lines that gradually lose tension. The figure begins to unravel through its own material logic and the canvas becomes a site of erosion. Landscape and body loosen together while the frame is consumed by termites. As the figure frays into sea and sky, identity, territory, and governance share the same material condition.
The work proposes that colonial authority relied on the continuous visual ordering of land, bodies, and power. Once that ordering begins to loosen, the heroic narrative can no longer stabilise. The painting asks what remains when historical images are maintained beyond their capacity to hold together.
The work proposes that colonial authority relied on the continuous visual ordering of land, bodies, and power. Once that ordering begins to loosen, the heroic narrative can no longer stabilise. The painting asks what remains when historical images are maintained beyond their capacity to hold together.