'Bound' by Karla Dickens
Object No. 2017/56/1
"BOUND You asked for it / in front of God / for better or worse / in sickness and in health / 'till death do you part / hand-cuffs lock vows / obey Not in front of the kids / reassure the unborn baby / pegging tiny singlets on the line / hands tied behind her back / dying desperate housewives / crippled by fear / pregnant Home sweet home / black and blue poorhouses / with a high security guard / a decorated cell / common place anchors / dreams of great escapes / hung high by a worn heart-string You're lucky you've got me / ugly whinging bitch / wrapped in tight cruelness / a social dress malfunction / out of date and damaged / drowning in shame / be grateful You need me / mummy's little helper visits daily / waiting on a chemical disaster / too lost to care / too numb to fight back / knots of effective confusion / disgraceful embarrassment Impossible departure / in ropes with closed wallets / depending on a pittance / worthless money-makers / cutting off circulation / restraining the sunshine / imposing quiet punishment Bondage isn't sexy / if an everyday tool / cover up the swelling / buckled up for pain / blood-stained devotion / promises of change / sorrys no more Run" Karla Dickens, 'BOUND', 2015, supplied by the artist, 2017. Karla Dickens (b.1967) is a gay, Wiradjuri woman who was born in Sydney and currently resides in Lismore. Her artistic practice, which spans almost three decades, calls on personal experiences that are echoed by broader society. Like a bower bird, Karla collects, plays, collages, builds, stitches, paints, prints, snaps and writes. Reoccurring themes in her work speak to racial, sexual, colonial and economic abuses. A lot of the time her works stem from the experiences of women, mothers, people from the LGBTQ community and Aboriginal peoples. The assemblages in her practice act like mnemonics carefully constructed to give us parts of a memory but not all of it. It's that, ‘right on the tip of my tongue’ feeling, like we have read about, know someone who has experienced or experienced these things ourselves. The six-part collection of sculptures titled Bound, sees Karla address some of the reasons women stay in abusive relationships. The six straight jackets have their own identities that are embellished with objects that could have been owned by the women they trapped. The six straight jackets address addiction, beauty myths, children, land, marriage and money. Each collection of embellishment objects makes visible the traps humans so often, so purposefully and laboriously hide. Karla brings back to the fore of our minds the repressed memories in the nation's cultural blueprint and implores people to remember and to see again what we try so hard to hide away. Karla’s practice reveals the painful, uncomfortable beauty that is present behind the shame of truth and honesty.
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Summary
Object Statement
Installation, 'Bound', canvas straightjackets with mixed media, Karla Dickens, Goonellabah, New South Wales, Australia, 2015
Physical Description
Comprising 6 parts: Bound by Addiction, Bound by Beauty Myths, Bound by Children, Bound by Land, Bound by Marriage, Bound by Money, and artist's statement in the form of a poem. Overall: Canvas straightjacket with brass buckles, plastic monkeys, printed cotton, plastic combs, human hair, waxed linen thread, artificial flowers, embroidery, artificial lace, cows' teeth, homemade wire dog muzzles, printed canvas moneybag Parts: Bound by Addiction: Canvas straightjacket with brass buckles, plastic monkeys, printed cotton, coat hanger Bound by Beauty Myths: Canvas straightjacket with brass buckles, plastic combs, human hair, waxed linen thread, coat hanger Bound by Children: Canvas straightjacket with brass buckles, artificial flowers, embroidery, artificial lace, coat hanger Bound by Land: Canvas straightjacket with brass buckles, cow teeth, vintage printed cotton material, coat hanger Bound by Marriage: Canvas straightjacket with brass buckles, vintage printed cotton material, homemade wire dog muzzles, waxed linen thread, coat hanger Bound by Money: Canvas straightjacket with brass buckles, vintage printed cotton material, printed canvas money-bag, coat hanger For full artist's statement see Significance Statement.
PRODUCTION
Notes
'Bound' was created by Karla Dickens in 2015 in Goonellabah, a suburb of Lismore in northern New South Wales. Dickens was born in Sydney (b.1967) and is a Wiradjuri artist whose work draws on her Indigenous heritage, sexuality and experiences as a single mother on welfare. Karla utilises a diverse range of media such as sculpture, textiles, poetry, painting, photography and found materials in her work. (1) Karla graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts in 1993 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000, both from the National Art School, Sydney. Karla's work was exhibited as part of 'The National 2017: new Australian art' at Carriageworks in Sydney, 'Defying Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial' at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, as well as in a solo exhibition, 'Black and Blue' at Andrew Baker Art Dealer in Brisbane. Karla says of her work, 'I have two loves in life: art and family and a passion for protest. To ask questions, to give voice and light, with a desire for change. To protest as an individual, art is my voice yet walking and standing alongside others smooths the powerlessness. There is a power in asserting objection shoulder-to-shoulder and disapproval of the obvious injustices, pains and truths of the unheard. It is an action that holds the hope that, once a story is told, a change in the unacceptable will be born and grow.' (2) References: (1) 'Defying Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial', Tina Baum (ed), NGA, Canberra, 2017, pp49-51, 146. (2) Biography supplied by Andrew Baker Art Dealer, 20 May 2017.
HISTORY
Notes
This artwork was displayed in 'Black and Blue', Karla Dickens' solo exhibition, at Andrew Baker Art Dealer, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 2016 and also in 'The National 2017: New Australian Art' at Carriageworks, Eveleigh, New South Wales, Australia, 30 March - 25 June 2017.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased with funds from the MAAS Foundation, 2017
Acquisition Date
12 December 2017
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