Meryl McMaster In-Between Worlds

In recent years, Meryl McMaster has travelled to remote landscapes on journeys that have helped her begin to understand her place in the natural world. These processes of self-discovery continue when McMaster returns to her studio and incorporates what she has learned into her art practice through the exploration of new themes. In-Between Worlds is an expression of one of these themes: McMasters bicultural Aboriginal-European heritage, which she views as a synergistic strength rather than a struggle between opposing forces. Through working on this series, McMaster transformed the way she views the past, creating a new narrative that comments on her personal heritage and its relation to a larger, shared cultural history that is inextricable from the land. Colourful self-portraits insert the artist’s body into visual spaces that reflect both the inspiration that she felt during her time alone in nature and the sense of being between, two worlds. The images depict McMaster posed with evocative sculptures and sculptural garments, which she constructed to serve as talismans that incorporate her bicultural heritage through collage.