SITUATE / 6 May to 14 July 2019
LIGHTSCAPES / Building 2 Lightwell 22 July to November 2019
Kate McWilliam is the recipient of a 2019 SITUATE studio residency award at the RMIT SITUATE studios in Melbourne.
Masquerade is defined as ‘a false show or pretence, to pretend to be someone one is not, a false face or a façade.’ While widely accepted, this definition is flawed. The potential for masquerade to reveal personal and socio-political truths is often overlooked. In Defacing God's Work, Kate McWilliam shifts notions of masquerade from deceptive to revelatory. Simultaneously seductive and repellent, her self-portraits prompt viewers to consult their own preconceptions, beliefs and fears, and to question the assumptions of dominant discourse. Employing and portraying masquerade as a revelatory device, the work utilises masks, makeup, prosthetics, performance through photographic self-portraiture and digital enhancement with intent, agency and reflexivity.
Kate McWilliam shifts notions of masquerade from deceptive to revelatory through her photographic practice. Simultaneously seductive and repellent, her self-portraits prompt viewers to consult their own preconceptions, beliefs and fears, and to question the assumptions of dominant discourse. Kate’s work has been exhibited in Australia and internationally. Her 2017 project received awards from both RMIT and CCP in Melbourne and was exhibited at the 2018 Pingyao International Photography Festival in China. Upon graduating from RMIT in 2018 with Honours 1st Class in the Bachelor of Arts (Photography) (Honours) program, Kate was awarded an RMIT SITUATE Residency in Melbourne for 2019.
This award is generously supported by the RMIT School of Art.