Johann de Silva
Highly Commended
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Johann de Silva, 'Just another building, Just another Body' (2021) 2.3m x 1.5m. Image courtesy: the artist.
Artist statement
This work is a hyperbolic narrative sprawled on a body bag via permanent marker, crayon, and pencil. Based on experiences working in healthcare, I’ve observed the hospital treated as a ghoul house. Sickness is uncomfortable because it reminds us of our mortality. This is a nonsensical narrative imprinted on a symbol of finality, the body bag. It responds to the sensationalized narratives that have been floating around. The frontline are real people not a faraway blackhole.
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Acknowledgement of Country
UNSW School of Art & Design stands on an important place of learning and exchange first occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples.
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land that our students and staff share, create and operate on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all First Nations peoples across Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
