Vegetation

IN THE VEGETATION SERIES, SIMRYN GILL, A NORTH INDIAN NATIVE, BORN IN SINGAPORE, RAISED IN MALAYSIA AND CURRENTLY RESIDING IN SYDNEY, ADDRESSES ISSUES OF IDENTITY AND POST-COLONIALISM. INFLUENCED BY THE VARIOUS CULTURES THAT FORM PART OF HER IDENTITY, GILL EXPLORES THE NOTION OF NATURALISATION AS A BOTANICAL TERM AND AS A MEANS OF INVESTIGATING THE WORD'S POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS AND COMPLEXITIES OF IDENTITY IMPOSED UPON US BY GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY AND BIOLOGY.

IN THESE PHOTOGRAPHS, THE ARTIST HERSELF POSES WITHIN RUGGED WEST TEXAN LANDSCAPE, HER HEADS CAMOUFLAGED BY NATIVE PLANT/VEGETATION 'HEADDRESSES', THE ABSURDITY OF HER HALF HUMAN HALF-PLANT PERSONA HIGHLIGHTING THE CLASH BETWEEN LITERAL GEOGRAPHICAL FRONTIERS AND THE MOBILITY OF VEGETATION - FOR EXAMPLE POLITICAL BORDERS DETERMINE NATIONAL IDENTITY WHEREAS PLANTS IGNORE HUMAN BORDERS. BY DELIBERATELY CONFUSING THE LANGUAGES OF NATURE AND CULTURE, SHE DEMANDS THAT WE QUESTION NOTIONS OF INDIGENEITY.

THE ENCHANTING APPEAL OF THESE IMAGES LIE IN THEIR ABILITY TO DEPICT THE ALIEN AND THE PECULIARLY FAMILIAR SIMULTANEOUSLY. WHILE INTENDING TO HIGHLIGHT THE SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF CONFLICTING IDENTITIES AND BOUNDARIES, THE HUMOUROUS OVERTONE OF VEGETATION OFFERS A WITTY AND THOUGHTFUL PARODY OF THE POWER OF MIMICRY IN A TIME OF HYPER- GLOBALISATION WHEREBY ADAPTATION INTO NEW CULTURES STILL REMAINS SUPERFICIAL.