Titled after Sabrina Imbler's book of the same name, this work explores themes of resilience, survival, care & identity through a gender and diversity lens. It draws parallel between human minds' essential link to the animal world as well as the gradual evolution of subjective experience, intelligence and consciousness. The work employs ROV SuBastian deep sea technology, thermal imaging & night vision footage to reveal elements that are typically imperceptible to the naked eyes. It descends into Australian waters, exploring the northern depth of the Great Barrier Reef, The Ningaloo canyons in the Southern Oceans and the rock pools at Bass Strait.
For female octopuses, laying eggs marks the beginning of the end. The mom cares for her eggs for up to 53 months then dies. Corals, comb jellies and nudibranch are simultaneous hermaphrodites with individuals carrying both male and female sexual organs. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites and able to change sex from male to female. Siphonophores are cnidarians and able to reproduce asexually. These are just a small part of the natural world that template a plethora of possibilities of ways to express, cohabit, and live.
Through disidentificatory performances, queer bodies- both human and non human - intersect and challenge the notion of identities and desires shaped by misalignments with dominant cultural ideologies.
The artist thanks:
Yandell W (Centre for Projection Art)
Logan MB (Schmidt Ocean Institute)
Kade M (Victorian National Park Association)
Stephen K
Angus F
YiPeng
George-Murray N
Jack Lee is a Chinese Malaysian artist based in Naarm/ Melbourne. Their practice spans across photography, videography, mixed media & digital art. Jack is interested in examining preconceived social norms and interrogating the construction of ‘in-between‘ cultures and diasporic values with references to migration and displacement. Also integrated within their works are elements of how those outside the racial, gender & sexual mainstream negotiate majority culture.
Image credit: Jack Lee How Far the Light Reaches, 2024-25, video (still).
Kingston Arts Centre
979-985 Nepean Hwy
Moorabbin VIC 3189
T: (03) 9556 4440
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