Villa

        No. 1, 2008 | 42x59.4cm

info
×

        No. 2, 2008 | 42x59.4cm 

info
×

        No. 3, 2008 | 42x59.4cm 

info
×

Villa

Conor Clarke's latest series reveals hidden desires evoked by the architectural style of late 19th century Victorian homes. With the emergence of the colonial middle class, a new sense of luxury and personalised taste initiated a decorative frenzy, often aided by an array of imagery. Catalogues contained innumerable motifs and elements from which one could adorn their abode. Skills in fashioning one's home demonstrated bourgeois and societal prowess. Clarke is fascinated by the celebration of this ritual of precise ornamentation, which often leads to strange results. In her black and white images, the idyllic homes reveal an irony in their longing to express individuality by following mainstream architectural trends of the time. In the foreground, open verandahs seem welcoming yet are guarded by the jaws of white picket fences, cleverly framed by Clarke. The images are composed using unaltered and digitally manipulated elements, mimicking the process of the Victorian homes.

Young Sun Han, 2008

Using Format