Cultural Memento Mori: Vanitas and Sri Lankan Still Life

My Body of Work uses mediums of photography and watercolour monotype printing to represent significant items from my family home in Sri Lanka. Drawing from my Singhalese and Dutch roots, I portray the diminishment of cultural identity catalysed by geographical dislocation over time. Inspired by Vanitas and 16th-century still-life, my work confronts audiences with this gradual diminishment as we adapt to life overseas. Voicing my personal disconnect, my work urges Australian audiences to cherish their diverse heritage before it succumbs to this metaphoric shadow of conformity.