Verge Gallery Exhibition: Entre Todo, Todxs (Among Everything, Everyone)
By Jossie Warnant
Venezuela is a country in crisis. A bitter leadership struggle, collapsed economy and growing public discontent due to power cuts and shortages in food and medicine have pushed 5 million people to flee. Nadia Hernández, a Venezuelan artist who has lived in Australia for the past 15 years, uses this conflict as the basis of her work which explores what it means to be part of the Venezuelan diaspora in Australia. She utilises textiles, paper constructions, painting, music, installation, sculptures and murals to investigate political narratives through the intersection of the personal and institutional.
Her exhibition, Entre Todo, Todx (Among Everything, Everyone) which is currently on display at USyd’s Verge Gallery examines the intersection between hope and conflict by collating and exploring collective memories, imagery and sounds.
Much of Hernández’s work explores familial bonds, and her latest exhibition is no different. As a tribute to her great grandmother, this exhibition employs this memory as a lens which reflects contextual ties to place.
“The artworks pay homage to my great grandmother, Delia. Many of my family members have contributed stories, anecdotes, memories, recipes and sounds to commemorate my great grandmother. This exhibition includes personal and familial histories and is a celebration of a matriarch and beloved individual whose cotidianidad (daily life) and idiosyncrasies echoed the particularities of her surroundings,” said Hernández in her artist statement.
Foundational to Hernandez’s work is the exploration of what it means to be a member of the Latinx community in Australia. As a Venezuelan woman living abroad she seeks to unpack issues of belonging and ties to her homeland by exploring the complex tragedy of the current political situation in Venezuela.
As part of this ongoing project, and in collaboration with Verge Gallery and USyd, Hernández has launched a podcast, which shares the name of her current exhibition. The podcast invites Latin American/Latinx contributors living in New South Wales to discuss their lived experience, shared narratives and creative pursuits as a means to understand their connection to Australia and sense of self.
The exhibition is displayed at Verge Gallery, a public art space dedicated to presenting interdisciplinary exhibitions from leading and emerging arts practitioners.
The exhibition will close October 23.