Living Water | Ella Whateley

Living Water Whateley encompasses two approaches to subject matter, both of which are an exploration of the exhibition's title. The first is a abstracted approach and interpretation of imaginary landscapes developed from Daoist concepts of beauty in landscape and natural forms; the second references ancient Chinese calligraphic seal script and involved taking rubbings off manhole covers found on the roads of Taiwan. Both bodies of work bear the indexical markings of Whateley's journeys across the island.

At the heart of this work are questions about identity and cultural belonging. Growing up in Europe, with an Australian passport and a love of Chinese culture, Whateley explores a little of what it means to belong to Asia; what it means to be a contemporary Australian living alongside East Asian neighbours. Using inks from both the West and the East, with an ambiguous approach to space and format, Whateley creates hybridised ink works that speak of new ways of finding meaning through visiting and reinterpreting cultural mores.