Inside Salote Tawale’s distant memories at Carriageworks
Image: No Location (2021), Sotale Tawale Image: Zan Wimberley/Supplied
Australian-Fijian Artist Salote Tawale’s latest exhibition, I Remember You, transforms Carriageworks into a ‘memory bank’ – exploring the power of memories and their ability to shape one’s identity.
Born in Suva, Fiji, Tawale grew up in Australia and is based in Sydney. Her personal connection to her cultural heritage and experiences of displacement has moulded this latest exhibition. Tawale brings audiences into her memories, through her interpretation of her family home and significant items, which has shaped her identity.
The installation spans across two sections of Carriageworks. Utilising a an array of mediums, including paintings, sculptures and karaoke, Tawale creates an immersive environment for visitors to explore
Tawale creates the ‘memory bank’ within Bay 21; with hibiscus floral patterns surrounding cardboard hanging masks, and plywood cutouts of people and plants. In the centre of these stage props stands Tawale’s family home – made of corrugated iron and clad on cement blocks. Visitors can literally explore her back yard, fitted with a clothesline, and sing within the makeshift karaoke booth.
Tawale shares these nostalgic elements of a distant memory, with the environment and people within it fading in and out as visitors explore the space. This part of I Remember You, specifically looking at familial connections, is paired with the 2021 piece No Location – looking at her move between Australia and Fiji.
The Public Space holds Tawale’s adaptation of a 14-metre-long bamboo raft. Inspired by a visit to Fiji Museum in Suva when she was young, this interpretation of a Bilibili vessel was made through traditional labour-intensive methods but utilises contemporary material used by Tawale. Incorporating tarps, ropes and other personal items, the watercraft represents Tawale’s artistic journey and feelings of displacement.
Looking retrospectively to her upbringing and the significance of her cultural heritage, Tawale says the exhibition is made from the “histories that relate to me and my body.”
“Memory can come from a smell, sound, touch and a feeling. It is a pathway to our identity. The mind makes sense of this information, consciously and subconsciously.”
“Through the manipulation of found materials, I reconstruct, expand and collapse these moments in time, to consider the power of objects, people and places, and the energy that emanates from them,” Tawale continues.
Anticipating the exhibition, Carriageworks CEO Fergus Linehan says, “It’s been a privilege to be able to provide her a space to explore and develop her artistic practice.”
“I Remember You importantly foregrounds Pacific diasporic experience, and by looking at how memories are formed, the exhibition invites visitors to consider their own relationship between identity and remembrance,” explains Linehan.
Tawale’s immersive memory continues to expand upon her acclaimed artistic portfolio, and allows visitors to think introspectively at their own memories and identity. Free to visit, do not miss out on seeing I Remember You, at Carriageworks from November.
17 November 2023 – 28 January 2024
Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW 2015
You May Also Like
