Jacqui Stockdale – The Long Shot

This major new series of work extends Stockdale’s fascination with 19th century narratives surrounding Ned Kelly. The Long Shot aims to challenge the dominant narratives of Australian folk history and re-examine their potency within a contemporary context. This exhibition will explore the Kelly matriarchy by focusing on the mother of Ned Kelly, Ellen and her daughters who were known for their horsemanship and bush skills. In this way, the work will re-examine the Kelly story from a feminist perspective.

This new body of works draws on many of Stockdale’s artistic processes including painting, photography, collage and performance. The Long Shot will include life size figurative sculptural works, including a model of Ned Kelly’s horse based on the exact proportions of Phar Lap and a crowd of effigies made from collected and found materials with faces cast from living subjects.

The sculptural works will be brought to life with interactive soundscapes and the effigies will be worn and activated through a series of performances. Stockdale has described the exhibition as “a carnivalesque anthropology of characters drawn from research and personal experiences”.