Homage to the Unknown, 2024
2024, 15 ft. cedarwood canoe, soy blend wax, unbleached cotton calico, dimensions variable
This unfinished wooden canoe was once owned by an artisan who had hoped to sail across the Coorong but passed away unexpectedly. Hence, this work is a homage to all the unknowns who did not make it.
The melted wax over the shrouded surface creates a cocoon that conceals it from view; a transitional vessel awaiting the birth of its new form.
The video’s three-layered body of water—the Pacific, Indian, and Southern oceans—merges to reflect the ephemeral nature of existence; a metaphor for time in which the present and the past are bridged by an unknown but often imagined future.
Neoterica is an independent artist-led project initiated and led by project director/curator Ray Harris.
March 1 to April 14, 2024
North Eastern Concourse, Adelaide Railway Station
Kaurna Country, North Terrace, Adelaide
Neoteric Digital Catalogue 2024
The Barefoot Review – Chris Reid
Alysha Herrmann writes about Riza Manalo in Neoterica 2024
Sam Roberts photography, courtesy of Neoterica.