Shannon Field: Busted

Overview

In Busted, artist Shannon Field continues his investigation of gender and what it is to be cast amongst that most problematic and misunderstood of tribes, the Australian heterosexual male.

Using multiple mediums and a direct visual style akin to Outsider or Naïve artists, in Busted Field reconstructs the visages of a number of key characters from our colonial past and questions what role this past has played in the construction of the contemporary Australian masculine identity. Alongside a number of convict first-fleeters are well known figures such as Elizabeth Macquarie and Burke and Wills. That dynamic duo seems a particularly appropriate choice in a discussion of Australian masculinity. Nothing says ‘she’ll be right’ or ‘no worries’ like an impromptu trip from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria led by someone with little to no skills in exploration.

The resulting images are by turns visceral, alarming and wryly humorous. The nature of masculinity is a fraught topic to take on, and those of us who have zero ability to produce a rugged crop of facial hair in the time between breakfast and smoko should go just to thank Field for his efforts and concerns for our plight. Everyone else should just go for the art.

Image: Shannon Field, Lydia Munro 2011