Our Daily Bread
2011

Our Daily bread is a visual meditation on our daily struggles to earn a living, in an increasingly complicated world. The systems that we have created lead to a widening gap between the rich and the poor. Wealth is gathered by a small percentage, while the majority work hard, in sometimes very trying circumstances, others are totally left without. A system that is based upon greed is inevitably doomed to fail. In the middle section of Our Daily Bread, we see the image of a disgruntled office worker destroying his computer and workstation. This powerful image is digitally manipulated "found" Internet footage, which has been captured by surveillance cameras, thus making this a documentation of a real life event. The few seconds of video footage has then been manipulated and slowed down to produce a very fluid, painterly quality. The office is destroyed and then reconstructed in an endless cycle, asking the question: Have we learnt anything from our history? The central frame is flanked by the mirror image of a beggar. This beggar was filmed outside a Helsinki metro station, on a cold winters day. The background has been removed, further highlighting the isolation of the figure. The beggar seems to watch the viewer, but also shifts his gaze toward the action in the centre of the screen. The appearance of a beggar often induces a feeling of discomfort and the passerby's gaze is averted. This beggar however, cannot be ignored. The arrival of Romanian Beggars in Finland is a relatively new situation, which the authorities are struggling to deal with. The accompanying music is a manipulated sample of copyleft (i.e. copyright free) music by the band Snog. Our Daily Bread highlights the ever-increasing divide between the haves and the have-nots. The work has a religious structure that questions our faith in the constant pursuit of profits above all else. We have in many ways lost control of our lives, as we unquestionably follow the routines and schedules of our workplaces. Do we work to live or live to work? Born Sydney, Australia
Lives in Helsinki, Finland

Education
2009 Master of Fine Arts, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, Finland
1999 Bachelor of Arts (Visual Art), Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia
1992 Bachelor of Science (Environmental Health), Curtin University of Technology, Perth

Solo Exhibitions
2011 Lunch, MUU Gallery Studio, (coming in October)
2009 Office Exhibition, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki
2006 The New Icons, Kurb Gallery, Northbridge, Western Australia

Group Exhibitions
2011 Ars Auttoinen, Auttoinen
2010 Factory Superstars, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2010 Artists 2010, TR1, Tampere
2010 Haihara 10, invitation exhibition, Haihara Art Center, Tampere
2009 Never To Retire, Vantaa Art Museum
2009 KuvAn Kevät 2009, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts Graduate Show
2008 Lens Politica – Public Art Intervention, Helsinki
2008 Alternative Party – New Media Art Exhibition, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2008 Master Class, FAFA Gallery, Helsinki
2007 Still Moving, Photography Show, Galleria Välivuosi, Helsinki
2005 Town of Vincent Art Awards, Perth
1999 Edith Cowan Graduation Show, Perth

Video Screenings
2011 60 Seconds Short Film Festival, Copenhagen
2010 Arktista Vimmaa, Rovaniemi
2010 Doc Lounge, Helsinki
2010 Filminute International Film Festival, (finalist)
2010 Love & Anarchy 2010 (Helsinki International Film Festival), Helsinki
2010 One Minute - Film and video festival, Aarau, Switzerland
2010 Crominute, Croatian One Minute Video Festival, Croatia
2010 For Fun, Art on the Silver Screen (24.4, Orion) Helsinki
2009 Fox Off Short Film Festival (11/2009), Helsinki
2009 GIGUK Video Art Festival (10/2009), Geiβen Germany (Winner of competion series)

Residencies
2010 Kökar, Artists Residency
2009 Utö, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts Residency
2009 Berlin, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts Residency

Member of the Finnish Painters Union, Artists' Association MUU, AV Ark and the Helsinki Artist’s Association elegy