conundrum

1 - CLOSER TO NATURE / 2 - ISLAND LIVING / 3 - SELF-ADMISSION TO AN INSTITUTION / 4 - HEAD BURIED DEEP IN YOUR HANDS / 5 - SUMMER RETREATS / 6 - AVOID THE CAMERA / 7 - REAPPEARANCE / 8 - OVERWHELMING SENSE OF THE VASTNESS OF THE UNIVERSE / 9 - SUICIDE / 10 - DEATH OF A CAREER / 11 - NO KNOWLEDGE ZONE / 12 - LITERALLY NO PLACE / 13 - MISINTERPRETED GESTURES AND BEST INTENTIONS GONE AMISS /
14 - SLATE WIPED CLEAN / 15 - ORGANIC LIVING / 16 - REALITY TESTING / 17 - SOME ELEMENTS COLLAPSE / 18 - WHITE ON WHITE / 19 - ESCAPE TO AN ISOLATED ISLAND BY OWN MEANS / 20 - HEAD BURIED DEEP IN THE SAND / 21 - AVOIDANCE OF PUBLIC SPACE / 22 - THE FATE OF THOSE YOU LEFT BEHIND / 23 - SELF IMPOSED EXILE / 24 - UTOPIAN COMMUNITIES / 25 - DRAWING UP NEW PROTOCOLS / 26 - RELATIONSHIPS SEVERED /
27 - PLAYFULLY ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR NON-EXISTENCE / 28 - AMBIVALENT MOTIVATIONS / 29 - EXPANDED TIME / 30 - ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF REALITY / 31 - TEMPORARY AUTONOMOUS ZONE / 32 - CONFLICTED MOTIVATIONS / 33 - REMOTE TRAVEL / 34 - DISAPPEARANCE / 35 - ABSOLUTE COMMITMENT WITHOUT COMPROMISE / 36 - IDENTITY SWAP / 37 - SEVERING OF ALL PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL CONNECTIONS / 38 - SUDDEN DETACHMENT OF SOCIAL CONTACT / 39 - DIVIDED PERSONALITY / 40 - EPIC DISTRACTION / 41 - ADVANCED CAMOUFLAGE / 42 - SILENT AND INVISIBLE PROTESTS / 43 - BITING TONGUE / 44 - GROWING SENSE OF ANXIETY / 45 - RELUCTANT ACCEPTANCE OF STICKY CONDITIONS /
46 - RETURN ALL FEES OR WAGES PAID IN ADVANCE / 47 - THE BARTLEBY PROTOCOL / 48 - PREFERRING NOT TO / 49 - TIGHT LIPS / 50 - QUIET BOYCOTT / 51 - MUTENESS / 52 - NON PARTICIPATION / 53 - ESCAPE / 54 - WITHDRAWAL / 55 - INTERNALISED CONFLICT / 56 - DEEP BREATHS AND CALM MOVEMENTS / 57 - CONTRADICTORY ADVICE / 58 - LOST OPPORTUNITIES / 59 - PERMANENT CAREER DAMAGE AND/OR BROKEN FRIENDSHIPS /
60 - A PROFOUND AND SEEMINGLY ENDLESS STATE OF DEPRESSION / 61 - PROFESSIONAL ISOLATION / 62 - OPPORTUNITY SEEKERS / 63 - A PLAN /
64 - DISAGREEMENT / 65 - REFUSAL / 66 - FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE PROTOCOL / 67 - MISSED OPPORTUNITIES / 68 PAINFULACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF YOUR NON-EXISTENCE / 69 - CAREER ALTERNATIVES / 70 - RESIGNED AMBITIONS / 71 - REGRET / 72 - ARMS FOLDED, LEGS CROSSED, LIPS TIGHT / 73 - SENSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS / 74 - BEST INTENTIONS MISINTERPRETED / 75 - POLITE LETTER OF INTENTION WITH NON–ACCUSING TONE /
76 - EXTERNAL AGGRESSION DIRECTED TOWARDS AMBIGUOUS GESTURES / 77 - INVISIBILITY / 78 - SMOKE AND MIRRORS / 79 - IMPERCEPTIBLY SLOW MOVEMENT OUT OF FRAME / 80 - EXIT THROUGH THE BACK DOOR / 81 - DOUBLE BLUFF / 82 - SURGICALLY EXECUTED / 83 - MAINTAINING THE PERFORMANCE / 84 - AUTONOMY / 85 - EXTREME ISOLATION / 86 - IDEAS OF FREEDOM / 87 - UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF REALITY

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	conundrum 2016 Graphite on wall; 2 channel video; books; performance of non-participation during exhibition opening

	conundrum was a newly commissioned work as part of the exhibition ‘Exhaust’ at Contemporary Art Tasmania. conundrum is made up of a constellation of elements that revolve around the question of what it means to withdraw – in this case from an invitation to exhibit – and what possible consequences such an act of withdrawal can provoke. The work looks at the myriad of relationships between the act of withdrawal, escape, non-participation and disappearance. conundrum incorporates a large mind-map, an animated letter to an anonymous recipient, a collection of books placed throughout the gallery and an orchestrated gesture of withdrawal by two people who were present at the exhibition opening.



	1 - CLOSER TO NATURE / 2 - ISLAND LIVING / 3 - SELF-ADMISSION TO AN INSTITUTION / 4 - HEAD BURIED DEEP IN YOUR HANDS / 5 - SUMMER RETREATS / 6 - AVOID THE CAMERA / 7 - REAPPEARANCE / 8 - OVERWHELMING SENSE OF THE VASTNESS OF THE UNIVERSE / 9 - SUICIDE / 10 - DEATH OF A CAREER / 11 - NO KNOWLEDGE ZONE / 12 - LITERALLY NO PLACE / 13 - MISINTERPRETED GESTURES AND BEST INTENTIONS GONE AMISS / 14 - SLATE WIPED CLEAN / 15 - ORGANIC LIVING / 16 - REALITY TESTING / 17 - SOME ELEMENTS COLLAPSE / 18 - WHITE ON WHITE / 19 - ESCAPE TO AN ISOLATED ISLAND BY OWN MEANS / 20 - HEAD BURIED DEEP IN THE SAND / 21 - AVOIDANCE OF PUBLIC SPACE / 22 - THE FATE OF THOSE YOU LEFT BEHIND / 23 - SELF IMPOSED EXILE / 24 - UTOPIAN COMMUNITIES / 25 - DRAWING UP NEW PROTOCOLS / 26 - RELATIONSHIPS SEVERED / 27 - PLAYFULLY ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR NON-EXISTENCE / 28 - AMBIVALENT MOTIVATIONS / 29 - EXPANDED TIME / 30 - ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF REALITY / 31 - TEMPORARY AUTONOMOUS ZONE / 32 - CONFLICTED MOTIVATIONS / 33 - REMOTE TRAVEL / 34 - DISAPPEARANCE / 35 - ABSOLUTE COMMITMENT WITHOUT COMPROMISE / 36 - IDENTITY SWAP / 37 - SEVERING OF ALL PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL CONNECTIONS / 38 - SUDDEN DETACHMENT OF SOCIAL CONTACT / 39 - DIVIDED PERSONALITY / 40 - EPIC DISTRACTION / 41 - ADVANCED CAMOUFLAGE / 42 - SILENT AND INVISIBLE PROTESTS / 43 - BITING TONGUE / 44 - GROWING SENSE OF ANXIETY / 45 - RELUCTANT ACCEPTANCE OF STICKY CONDITIONS / 46 - RETURN ALL FEES OR WAGES PAID IN ADVANCE / 47 - THE BARTLEBY PROTOCOL / 48 - PREFERRING NOT TO / 49 - TIGHT LIPS / 50 - QUIET BOYCOTT / 51 - MUTENESS / 52 - NON PARTICIPATION / 53 - ESCAPE / 54 - WITHDRAWAL / 55 - INTERNALISED CONFLICT / 56 - DEEP BREATHS AND CALM MOVEMENTS / 57 - CONTRADICTORY ADVICE / 58 - LOST OPPORTUNITIES / 59 - PERMANENT CAREER DAMAGE AND/OR BROKEN FRIENDSHIPS / 60 - A PROFOUND AND SEEMINGLY ENDLESS STATE OF DEPRESSION / 61 - PROFESSIONAL ISOLATION / 62 - OPPORTUNITY SEEKERS / 63 - A PLAN / 64 - DISAGREEMENT / 65 - REFUSAL / 66 - FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATIVE PROTOCOL / 67 - MISSED OPPORTUNITIES / 68 PAINFULACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF YOUR NON-EXISTENCE / 69 - CAREER ALTERNATIVES / 70 - RESIGNED AMBITIONS / 71 - REGRET / 72 - ARMS FOLDED, LEGS CROSSED, LIPS TIGHT / 73 - SENSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS / 74 - BEST INTENTIONS MISINTERPRETED / 75 - POLITE LETTER OF INTENTION WITH NON–ACCUSING TONE / 76 - EXTERNAL AGGRESSION DIRECTED TOWARDS AMBIGUOUS GESTURES / 77 - INVISIBILITY / 78 - SMOKE AND MIRRORS / 79 - IMPERCEPTIBLY SLOW MOVEMENT OUT OF FRAME / 80 - EXIT THROUGH THE BACK DOOR / 81 - DOUBLE BLUFF / 82 - SURGICALLY EXECUTED / 83 - MAINTAINING THE PERFORMANCE / 84 - AUTONOMY / 85 - EXTREME ISOLATION / 86 - IDEAS OF FREEDOM / 87 - UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF REALITY





	Photography: Lou Conboy





	Video stills from text animation