Deep in thought, thoughts over depths

Place Oceania: Australia
Accession Number AWM2018.1272.1
Collection type Art
Measurement Unframed: 76 cm x 121.5 cm x 2 cm
Object type Assemblage
Physical description paper, ink, pencil, paper, glue on stretched canvas
Maker Hicks, Georgie
Place made Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra
Date made 10 July 2018
Conflict Border Protection, 1997-
Copyright

Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright

Description

As part of being exhibited for the inaugural Napier Waller Art Prize exhibition (2018), Hicks provided the following artist statement about her work:

"Information overload. Not sure where to look. Organised chaos. These were my first impressions of border protection operations, and those same impressions are the initial effect I hope this work conveys.

"But the longer you look, the more it makes sense. It’s not just a mess of words and colours and a few stray lines — it’s a nautical chart made from my diaries and scribbled notes from April to September 2013. It was the peak period for Australia’s irregular maritime arrivals, and I was embarked in a patrol boats force assigned to Operation RESOLUTE.

"My artistic process was simple: remove the interior from the real “Pulau Sawu to Ashmore Reef” chart, collage copies of my diaries and notes in the centre, and redraw the most relevant chart elements by hand. I then altered the printed chart details to provide further insight, and redacted some parts with white paint. The clusters of white stand out from a distance, and lie on the chart like boats making their way towards Ashmore Reef — mostly from the north, some from the north-west. I chose white over the typical redaction-black because it was less jarring, and because I have made peace with my experiences." (Georgie Hicks, 2018)

'Deep in thought, thoughts over depths' by artist and veteran Georgie Hicks was judged highly commended as part of the Memorial's 2018 Napier Waller Art Prize. Presented in partnership with Thales Australia, the University of Canberra and The Road Home, the Napier Waller Art Prize aims to promote artistic excellence, the healing potential of art for military personnel, and raise a broader awareness of the impact of service on the individual. In its inaugural year, the Napier Waller Art Prize attracted over 100 entries.