Patrols of nine personnel operate on a rotational basis to Central (Rove) Prison, Guadalcanal. ...

Patrols of nine personnel operate on a rotational basis to Central (Rove) Prison, Guadalcanal. Their job is to guard the prison complex, which includes conducting random perimeter patrols. This is a portrait of seven members from RAMSI Rotation 17 on patrol at Rove. The missing two from this group were out on patrol when the artist visited. eX de Medici painted the group upon her return from the Solomon Islands [ART94171]. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with troops from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga formed the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). The RAMSI peacekeeping mission has been present in the Solomon Islands since 2003. eX de Medici was sent to the Solomon Islands in March 2009 as an Australian War Memorial official artists during one of the wettest weeks of the year. Continual downpour restricted her ability to paint or sketch on site. De Medici relied on journal records and hundreds of photographs of her observations and experiences to produce her artwork. Stitching together elements from numerous photographs, de Medici created a series of artworks that does not reflect a particular location, instead merges historical and contemporary motifs revealing the uncertain future of the Solomon Islands.