Innovators 3

15 August - 14 September 2008

Nathan TAYLOR
Culture Made Easy
2008

A quick glance at elements of our suburban language immediately reveals how our society is trapped within a cycle of disposable culture, addicted to consumerism. As our moral and social values become victim to this addiction, our social fabric is desensitised through a new modern commercial philosophy. This breakdown begins to question the direction of Australia's social identity and the slow corrosion of the once celebrated 'Australian dream'.

Why are we rewarded for spending and why are we judged by our wealth and possessions? The notion of value has been lost, replaced with a price tag. Capitalism rewards those who nourish it and eliminates those who don't.

This series of paintings explores the subtle decay of contemporary Australian culture by examining snapshots of our suburban and regional landscape. By examining the objects that dictate our social addictions and claustrophobic routines, I hope to raise questions about our cultural and historical identity.

Domestic apathy and blindness is revealed through uncovering the hidden desires and overlooked aesthetic perceptions of ordinary objects. By shifting the conventional context of the everyday, an underlying sense of unease is revealed, strangely paralleled by feelings of nostalgia. The inanimate becomes significant and the anonymous, intimate.

As the conventional 'Australian Dream' continues to fuel its own demise, I offer an insight into the elements and behaviour that have forged this fate and help seed ideas that will aid in a sustainable future.

 

 

 


image: Nathan Taylor