SYDNEY THROUGH A MIGRANT’S PALETTE

Australia is one of the most richly multicultural countries in the world with over 300 different ancestries represented. This melting pot of global diasporas is reflected in the last census which showed almost a third of Australia’s population were born overseas, and almost half of Australians had at least one parent born overseas— figures which indicate that Australia is increasingly diverse.

In essence, Australia has become a representation of hope, a new life and safety for migrants for over a century and consequently has seen many talents arrive on our shores that enhance the cultural environment. Migrant artists have significantly shaped Australia’s creative landscape as they blend the traditions of their homelands with the aesthetics of their new environment, resulting in unique amalgam of expressions. As viewers, we can sympathise and identify in these artistic expressions and connect our own similar heritage stories.

Born in Leer, Germany post-World War II, and raised in a migrant camp in the United Kingdom to Polish parents, Basia had always yearned to understand her place in the world. Her artistic practice began by exploring “Icon” and decorative folk style painting of the Polish tradition to learn more about her Polish heritage. When Basia migrated to Australia, her oeuvre naturally evolved into intuitive painterly abstract form that borrow elements of her early work. She found community within the “Polonia” of Sydney (Polish Diaspora), where she discovered an abundance of common tales of traversing two worlds—that of searching for connection to the past and that of a future filled with possibilities.

On the periphery of her 80th year, Basia has fully and energetically embraced a hybrid visual layered handwriting technique imbued with memory and past experiences which renders a unique migrant’s perspective of the Australian landscape. Her body of work is distinct as she utilises a full-body expressive layering and “wipe-off” technique mixed with subliminal scrawl mark-making that has taken her decades to develop. In addition, Basia has developed her own unique iconography that harks back to her foundational practice—in which you can see ovoid forms, ladders, and arches peeking through each piece.

Practicing on the traditional land of the Cammeraygal people, Neutral Bay, Basia latest series of work ‘Sydney Through a Migrant’s Palette’ portrays the natural Sydney Harbour landscape, especially that of Lavender Bay. This nuanced and multi-dimensional catalogue of work unfurls a rich conversation on how a migrant’s history influences a depiction of place.