“American Tragedy is a work developed and informed by my ongoing relationship with the USA through family and friends. I grew up there and travelled often between Australia and America throughout my life. This piece was created in about 2008. I had a feeling at the time that the work had a prescient quality. It addresses America’s views of progress, humanity and religion. It also addresses the country’s immigrant foundations, including its use of slavery. America is a fractious society built on many divisions of race, economy and education. This work is part of a conversation about how long the idea of America can be sustained. In 2020, in the context of our current pandemic, I thought now would be a good time to re-exhibit this work.”
Medium: Paperback novels, acrylic on wood
Cost: $2,000
Rachael Lafferty is an artist, musician and curator based in Earlwood, NSW. Her practice includes painting, performance art and sculpture. Her artistic vision, informed by her Irish/Indigenous heritage, leads her to look at the way environmental processes in the Australian landscape are altered and replicated in the human landscape. She has worked extensively with the Campbelltown Arts Centre, as an installer and setbuilder for Alien Proof Construction, and for the Biennale.
You can contact Rachael at rachael.lafferty@gmail.com
Kaleidoscopic 