Lot 68

MARS Gallery, Melbourne
Private collection, Melbourne

Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam, 23 - 25 September 2016 (another example)
National Gallery of Victoria Triennial, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 19 December 2020 - 18 April 2021 (another example)
"Atong Atem uses photography and video to explore migrant stories and post-colonial practices in the African diaspora. She has an ongoing interest in photography and portraiture as a vehicle to express culture and identity. The photographs featured in NGV Triennial are from an early series of portraits created by the artist. These works not only explore the various experiences and identity of Atem and her friends but also draw on the history of studio photography in Africa, most notably the practice of renowned photographers Malick Sidibé and Seydou Keïta, who were active in Mali in the 1960s. Atem's photographs are all staged studio portraits. In each of the images her subjects are photographed against brilliantly coloured backdrops, and her sets are further decorated with intricately patterned fabric, furniture and abundant bunches of flowers, resulting in a riot of colour and pattern." (exhibition statement, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne)