Sunstrum's evocative work considers the impact of returning home with new experiences and exposure to new knowledge systems, and the resultant psychological shift that occurs.
"The experience of going away and coming back to a home place after having new experiences or having access to new resources has always been quite a fraught experience for myself, and one that you feel really physically when you make that shift from being away to being back home. I’ve been thinking about that so much with this work. My connection to place in Botswana or in South Africa or Southern Africa at large has always felt very tenuous because of the ways that my personal background has always seemed at odds with a particular obsession with taxonomy that continues to characterise and undermine life in Southern Africa," the artist explains.
The paintings in You'll be sorry incorporate imagery from Sunstrum's grandmother's village in Botswana, evoking reflection on land and landscape through a simple, earthy palette. While her previous works referenced cosmic and mythological deep-time, these paintings move towards the mid-20th century; highlighting a moment when independence movements across African countries were heightened and artists from the continent were showcasing the tensions between city living, rural living, and life abroad.
The exhibition opens on Sat, Oct 28, from 10:30am.
