The Stranger, 2022

oil on board 60 x 166 x 2 cm

Growing up in Western Australia as a Muslim with an Australian father and Indonesian mother has given me a taste of two very different cultures. While reflecting upon living between the difference, I recall having always felt like a stranger. My artwork is influenced by the experience of estrangement and explores the subject of alienation by those you feel most familiar with. I painted my two cultures on separate boards and positioned the audience in my shoes. While the subjects establish a strong connection with the viewer’s gaze, the judgemental expressions are intended to confront the viewer with feelings of isolation.