POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'Deja Vu, Review' artwork by Kendal Murray

Object No. 2012/69/1

'Déjà vu, Review' is a miniature surreal world atop an antique purse created by Sydney artist and academic Kendal Murray in 2011. This sculptural mixed media offers a playful look at the domestic world and holiday culture. As we view this strange tableau presented by 'Deja Vu, Review' we are the voyeurs and participants, as is the man watching the woman vacuum from afar. This artwork invites the viewer to call upon personal memories of holidays and housework. The miniature world draws us closer, and invites us to investigate. Murray's work explores scenarios that are imbued with social and personalised meaning. Humorous, melancholic and sometimes disturbing, her work is layered with representations of emotional and physical experiences. There is a fascination for children and adults in this small reflected world. As artist Jeannie Baker's collages invite us to explore our everyday natural world and environment. Kendal Murray works invite exploration of the dreamland, fantasy and everyday domestic duty. Drawn from her own collection, Murray uses found objects such as purses, teapots and make up compacts to create fantasy worlds. She also connects to the world of miniature, childhood and dreaming. Although not quite the layering collages of Jeannie Bakers work, it has a similar appeal. It asks us to look closer and seek out familiar objects that appear in a small world. Murray helps us recall the playful freedom we lose in growing up, her work represents a universe of whimsy and nostalgia. Kendal Murrays work is held in: Lady Ethel Knox Sculpture Collection, University of Western Sydney, University of NSW Male Formy Grafiki, Polska Lodz, Poland (Permanent Collection), Collection of C.E. Heath, Commonwealth Bank Collection Various private collections - Australia, Japan and New Zealand, the UK and New York References http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s3203503.htm http://www.arthousegallery.com.au/imagesart/Kendal_Murray_2011.pdf Anni Turnbull 2012