Jemima Wyman

Jemima Wyman is interested in the notion of visual resistance through camouflage, patterning and masking. The artist – a palawa woman who is a descendant of the pairrebeener people of tebrakunna and poredareme – investigates and considers camouflage, when used by marginalised groups, as a tactic and subversive political and social strategy used to gain counter-power in conflict zones. Wyman recognises the importance of opacity in a post-truth society marred by state surveillance and hyper-transparency. Not only does camouflage and masking obscure identity, but ‘communal skins’ can act as a binding agent, creating collective identities; ‘when worn, a mask may permit an individual to simultaneously transgress social boundaries while belonging to a group. In this way, identity is expressed yet anonymity is protected.’ Written by Goldsmiths CCA