A Place We Call Home   l   Stala Contemporary, West Perth (Western Australia), Australia

21 April to 8 May 2021

Proudly supported by Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Western Australia.

As Perth navigates an increasingly culturally diverse population, even in the spirit of celebration, cultural tensions inherently surface if different communities are not given opportunities to exchange experiences and perspectives. This becomes clear in times of global crises, in particular the socio-political, economic and cultural tensions created by the 9/11 foment of Islamophobia, and more recently the Anti-Asian rhetoric alongside a world-changing pandemic. ‘A Place We Call Home’ is an exhibition by three local artists Aasiya Evans, Desmond Mah and Harrison See. Showcasing artworks that reflect upon their unique cultural positionalities by exploring different perspectives within Australian society pertaining to a global discourse. Aasiya Evans was born in Johannesburg, South Africa she aligns her praxis with her memory of her background through a lived experience under an Apartheid system of racial segregation as well as her Australian diaspora. Chinese-Australian artist Desmond Mah’s paintings focuses upon the tense cultural climate of anti-Asian sentiment brought up by a recent COVID outbreak was reminiscent of his time growing up in Perth during the eighties. Eighth generation West-Australian artist Harrison See reflects on the inherited tensions of his European background combined with a pseudo-severance to his cultural origins. Through his PhD research he examines how collaboration can exchange and unpack cultural narratives and tensions across diverse perspectives

PHOTOS: Kaifu Deng