Alexandra Karpin
Sydney Exhibition

Opens Saturday 23 July, 2 – 4pm
Guest Speaker Louise Thurtell

Runs 21 July – 7 August 2022

Artist Statement

Free as a Bird, a series of works made during the COVID-19 Lockdown, probes the turbulence experienced throughout Sydney’s first and second public lockdowns. Feelings of isolation, disconnection, and depression, were shared on a global scale.

During the extended periods of isolation I would watch through my window the freedom and beauty of native Australian birds, gathered outside. Their colourful and energetic presence would bring me a sense of calm and positivity.

I began to question the notion of being confined and whether it was observer or the observed who were actually caged. This question was extended further to the domestic objects that surrounded me as many had images that portrayed birds in their freedom when they are actually physically constrained to to the objects.

The birds are a metaphor for my own life before the pandemic, where they are unaware of whether they are confined or not. This observation and experiences throughout the pandemic have fundamentally altered my perspective and still challenge the notion of my own freedom.