Medicine Clay - Bawi (Nan) #3
Simone Arnol and Bernard Lee Singleton
- Sitter: Sara Fagan
- Medium: Photograph
- Dimensions: 63 x 88cm
- Representation: Jan Manton Gallery
About the artwork and sitter
This portrait of Sara Fagan is part of a collaborative photographic series which presents intimate portraits of three generations of family—father, niece & himself – in a layer of coarse white clay. Known as medicine clay, this revered material is often used by family for the treatment of sore belly, women’s business, and general wellbeing.
The placement of Wuba (red ochre) is significant to each bearer as it represents Sara’s connection to her grandmother and the alignment of her wellbeing.
About the artist
Simone Arnol (Gunggandji) and Bernard Singleton Jnr (Umpila/Djabugay/Yirrgay) present a collaborative photographic series of intimate portraits. They use photography as another form of story telling/truth telling outside their normal practices and documentation in visual art, fashion design, curatorial and craftsmanship.
Arnol has worked in fashion, event curation and art, showcasing at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair’s Fashion Performance for the past 5 years and won an award at the National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) in 2021. Singleton has 15 years experience in cultural tourism, performing and educating as well as being involved in curatorial work for exhibitions in northern Australia.
