81 Percent (Australia)
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 2021.
Images courtesy Queensland Art Gallery l Gallery of Modern Art.
Photography: Katie Bennett, Chloe Callistemon, Merinda Campbell, Marc Grimwade, Joe Ruckli, and Lee Wilkes.
In 2021, The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health, and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University released Writing Themselves In 4, a national survey of health and wellbeing among LGBTQA+ young people in Australia. The report found that 81% of participants experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress. 81 Percent (Australia) makes this number visible using 81 surfaces (80 windows and 1 wall) in the River Room at QAGOMA. 81 Percent (Australia) is in two parts: Someone You Know and For The Voiceless. This work was part of Novak’s contribution to The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) in 2021 at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA).
Someone You Know
Someone You Know draws attention to the fact someone you know may be part of the 81% experiencing high or very high levels of psychological distress. It may even be you yourself. Each window is anthropomorphised, reflecting the diversity of those marginalised by sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and/or sex characteristics. In this regard, each window is given a different pronoun or pronominal adjective as its title.
For The Voiceless
For The Voiceless acknowledges those that may not have a voice, particularly those whom, for various reasons, may not feel safe openly identifying as queer people. The wall is made of 3820 roses. Each rose represents an individual who feels or are voiceless. One rose is a unique colour symbolising the idea of the “minority within a minority”, or sections of queer communities that are further marginalised than other sections of queer communities and are often overlooked.
