Artwork: Dwelling 1998
Artist: Valerie Kirk
Medium: woven tapestry, drawing on board
Dimensions: 2 @ 12 x 176cm; 1 @ 40 x 40cm
Acquisition: An acquisition of the ACT Legislative Assembly Art Advisory Committee, 1999
Asset no: OLA001946
About the Work
This work draws on the traditions and imagery found in Scottish and Australian textiles and refers to the artist’s journey as a migrant travelling from Scotland to Australia. The left hand panel is a portrait of the artist’s hometown in Ayrshire, Scotland, located on the salmon spawning rivers and famous for its black and white knitting. The central panel refers to Neolithic standing stones in the area. In the right panel Kirk represents the Australian ‘waggas’ she has come to admire. The ‘wagga’, make-do patchwork quilts originally made from hessian or flour sacks, derives its name from the wheat growing centre of Wagga Wagga in southern NSW. The long horizontal format of the 3-part Dwelling mimics the progress of taking a journey as the work unfolds its story in passing.