Works by Roberta Govoni

I am in a hurry

Small local shops are often unique, managed by passionate and knowledgeable owners. People often don’t have any more time, often focus in their own world, they just look for the best price out, without thinking that they are killing small businesses, leaving suburban streets of Melbourne deserted.

Rations

Rations is a collage created with found photographs. In 1859 the daily food ration for Aboriginal people was one pound of flour, two ounces of sugar and half an ounce of tea, with other foods, clothing and material items (such as nets and fishing lines) issued on an occasional basis. Issues were restricted to the old, sick or infirm, orphan children and women with children under 12 years of age. The able-bodied were only given rations if they could not obtain work or subsist by fishing and hunting. The Stolen Generations and unlawful land appropriation by the colonists, was only few of the traumatic experiences that Indigenous people had to suffer. Still today, Aboriginal’s rights are often not acknowledged and not involved in government decisions or power sharing.

Roberta Govoni ‘Rations’ (2020)

Mixed media 35cm x 25cm

The forgotten

Growing up in Italy, I was surrounded by its rich historical architecture, which spans almost 3,500 years. In my photography practice I have always been attracted by the passing of time in relation to the culture of a place, what makes it unique and different. In 2013 I moved to Perth, Australia and I started to observe the lack of historical buildings and an abundance of identical houses and franchised shops. Aboriginal people were considered as “just a bunch of drunks” and their cultural heritage has been wiped out. Melbourne is still guilty of wanting to put their culture under the rug, for the sake of modernity and capitalism, of wanting to belong in “modern times”. From the colonialism of Neerim in 1851, to the subsequential golden rush and building boom of Victorian houses, now gentrification is taking over imperialist buildings, in a rat race to gain more money, squishing people together and “standardisation” to be part of globalisation and cut costs. Colonialism is colonising itself.

Govoni ‘The Forgotten’ (2020) Mixed Media Video link https://www.dropbox.com/s/cvvbnv8mncdlt4j/The%20Forgotten.mp4?dl=0

Roberta