Whisper in my Mask, TarraWarra Biennial 2014

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August 9th, 2014 to November 16th, 2014

Curated by Natalie King and Djon Mundine

Curated by Natalie King and Djon Mundine for the 2014 TarraWarra Biennial, taking a line from the evocative song ‘Art Groupie’ (1981) by Grace Jones, Whisper in My Mask, signals an exploration of masking, secrets and hidden narratives as psychological states: Love Me in a Picture, Kiss Me in a Cast, Touch Me in a Sculpture, Whisper in My Mask. The mask in its multifarious forms and functions can both reveal and conceal personas: it can protect, beautify, frighten or pacify, universalise or eternalise, intensifying and amplifying expression. In a selection of works that elicit an emotional and sensory response, the Biennial will return us to human senses. Moreover, masking suggests altered states of reverie and otherworldliness intertwined with hidden narratives, local mysteries and parapsychology. Disguise manifests as trace, inscription, erasure, secrets, camouflage, whisperings, dreamings and subterfuge. These ideas will infiltrate the Biennial as a series of trigger points by incorporating a range of artworks including sound, video, performance and participatory installation by cross-generational Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists.