Just another pawn
Rachael Sarra
- Sitter: Rachael Sarra
- Medium: Digital Artwork
- Dimensions: 42cm x 59cm
- Representation: This artist represents themselves
About the artwork
In this self portrait, Rachael Sarra depicts herself as “just another political pawn, sitting with her eyes covered by her hands and her identity hidden.” It immediately conjures up a game of chess, with the artist transformed into a chess piece, a pawn, hovering over a chequered board.
In this pose, she signals the stress inherent in playing this game. As an Indigenous woman she draws attention to the complexity of identity, and navigating the hazardous world of societal perceptions and expectations.
The experience of black women having their identities taken away is a central focus. She says “…her identity doesn’t matter anymore as it’s thrown off to the side.”
Rachael Sarra chooses the colour blue, and blurs the square around her figure to differentiate herself from the neat black and white matrix that demands conformity. The work is a mixture of photography and digital design.
About the artist
Rachael Sarra’s vibrant creative practice embodies her experience as a proud mixed race, First Nations woman from Goreng Goreng Country. Rachel graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Communication Design from QCA, Griffith University in 2022. She has produced many public artworks, is an award winning children’s book illustrator and author, and has had her work on BCC buses. Her work is held in corporate, public and private collections around the world. Driven by a belief that art is vital to communication, connection and culture, Rachael invites us to see the world through her eyes with bold colours and dynamic contours. Her distinct contemporary style challenges societal perceptions of Aboriginal art and identity.
