Fiona Hall

Fiona hall
Fiona Hall’s art deals with society and culture and increasingly how we as humans are impacting upon the natural world. Her work is often extremely detailed and her ideas and thinking multi-faceted and complex. The choices of her material is a critical part to the her art, It speaks to us because it engages with contemporary life in intriguing ways, created from an Australian perspective. Hall deliberately transforms ordinary everyday objects to address a range of contemporary issues such as globalization, consumerism, colonialism and natural history. Halls practice is underpinned by her continuing investigation into the relationship between nature and culture, colonial history, global trade, consumerism and the environment. Her work relays these objectives in an approach that combines complex ideas into material construction. She has also approached her design in a way that conflicts with traditional narratives
“Medicine Bundle for the non-born child was Hall’s most memorable work in Biodata. It is enchanting. The baby’s layette, recalling innumerable patterns from popular Australian women’s magazines, is knitted from strips made from Coca-Cola tins, and comes complete with a six-pack of teated ‘bottles’ So this is what is now imbibed instead of Mother’s milk? This anti-consumerist indictment simultaneously notes the degradation of plant products and the ironies of contemporary parenting. This work is also an, “appropriation of knowledge from developing nations and most importantly, the future of the world’s children.” Queensland Art Gallery. The use of soft drink cans have also been used in Medical bundle for the nonborn child, to make a poignant comment on the commercialism action and exploitation of plants (Figure 4-8). In this piece Hall used Coca-Cola cans cut into strips which are knitted into a baby’s layette. The homely act of knitting the layette, commonly associated with providing warmth and protection for a baby, is shattered by the harsh...