Fruit of the Earth, 2016, Atong Atem
Digital C-print on Dibond, 90cm x 60cm
Provenance: MARS Gallery, Melbourne
Atong Atem is a South Sudanese artist and writer from Bor living in Narrm Melbourne. Atem turned her back on a career in architecture to pursue a passion for photography, writing and videography. Atem’s photography explores the personal and the political via the intimacy of portraiture. Her stylised imagery contributes towards the decolonisation of the depiction of African people, as she celebrates the work of African photographers who came before her by turning the lens back on herself and her community. In 2018, Atem was awarded the prestigious MECCA M-Power Scholarship, and was recipient of the inaugural $80,000 La Prairie art award. (1)
Atem has named Malick Sidibé as one of her inspirations and has described her work as similar to his, being about “colour and texture and a kind of anti-minimalist approach to subject and sets.” This anti-minimalist approach is one that many other artists in Africa Pop Studio share, illuminating Sidibé’s influence on Africa and the diaspora. In this self-portrait, the artist has painted her face and framed it with plastic flowers and fruit. Atem Photoshops color onto the black-and-white image where the face paint and flowers exist. What is unique about it is that the artist has chosen to mask most of her face, making it less about her and more about the idea that black women are the fruit of the earth—they are born from the earth and are strong enough to sustain their communities. From the exhibition: Africa Pop Studio (April 1 – April 23, 2017)
Artist Statement
I have a really solid internal image catalogue, I think. That’s the only way I can describe the process because it’s really simple. There’s also a catalogue of visual languages that come from my immediate family, elements of South Sudanese, Dinka culture, so-called Australian iconography and so on. I’ve been making visual art for a long time so I think over time I’ve refined my own visual language which makes it easy for me to figure out how to dress and style my photos.
Other works by this artist: