2022 Daydreams
Daydreams, a new series of paintings and drawings by Jarrad Martyn, explores the relationships between the individual and the collective. During the pandemic, Martyn lived in both Western Australia and Victoria, where the experiences of the event were markedly different - one was marred by a forced sense of ‘normality’, and the other dealing head-on with a crisis. During the lockdowns, Martyn found himself reminiscing, thinking about the past and looking forward into the future – ruminating on family photo albums and holiday snaps. Daydreams presents small postcard-like imagery, juxtaposed with works responding to global events. Namely, the ongoing effect of climate change and the Australian bushfire seasons, the COVID- 19 Pandemic, and the move to decolonialise public spaces. The contrast between these motifs is exaggerated by the differing scale of the works, making the viewer unsure of how they are linked. This confusion and loss of meaning reflects anxieties felt during the pandemic, and also highlights a sense of being suspended in time over the period. Martyn’s practice involves the process of bricolage, the bringing together of disparate imagery and content to develop new meanings. Daydreams continues this work, shifting the focus internally - to the artist himself, to his family and local community, and reflecting on their place in the world.