Biography of Anne Zahalka

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Anne Zahalka was born in 1957 and comes from an immigrant background with Jewish Viennese and Catholic Czech heritage. She grew up in Australia at the time when immigration was increasing and people were becoming more aware of the range of cultural groups, which evidently influence her works. Due to this, her artworks revolves closely around Australian culture, focusing on themes such as traditional cultures, activities and relationships within a place. Zahalka intends to invent artworks which not only connect to her but to the audience culturally and personally, such as her series of work ‘Welcome to Sydney’ and ‘Hotel Suite’. Zahalka tends to have staged quality within her works, through the process of utilising computer technology to underline her concepts and manipulating imagery, ergo emphasising her intentional meanings, aswell as constructing a temporary studio on location. Anne Zahalka cleverly presents her intentions and interests in the world clearly throughout her artworks, more specifically her series ‘Welcome to Sydney’. Through the creation of this series Zahalka was interested in the changing multicultural nature of Australian society, closely drawing the audiences attention to the cultural frame. She effectively does this by portraying the subjects with dignity and respect by deliberately positioning them in an area in which they connect with. In doing so, Zahalka acknowledges her own experience, as the daughter of immigrant parents has influenced her conceptual practice. She uses cultural symbols to show the individuals are different, yet making them as one being put into Australian locations. In the image ‘Guangan Wu, Market Gardens, Kyeemagh’ a chinese immigrant stands in a panoramic landscape of market garden... ... middle of paper ... ...bsequently Anne Zahalka successfully explores her interest in expressing the psychological space of the hotel room through the emotional states of the guests, achieved through her carefully constructed compositions and devices which create and emphasise the emotion evident. To Recapitulate Zahalka intends to invent artworks which not only connect to her but to the audience culturally and personally, such as her series of work ‘Welcome to Sydney’ and ‘Hotel Suite’. Zahalka tends to have staged quality within her works, through the process of utilising computer technology to underline her concepts and manipulating imagery, ergo emphasising her intentional meanings, aswell as constructing a temporary studio on location. In doing so, her works effectively reflect her intentions and interests in the world which are articulated clearly through her careful compositions.

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