Forgotten Family 1
| CCAC #: | 0239 |
| Artwork title: | Forgotten Family 1 |
| Artist(s): |
Penny Siopis |
| Year made: | 1996 |
| Artwork type: | Paper |
| Medium: | Mixed media |
| Dimensions (mm): | 960 x 1560 |
| Framed dimensions (in mm): | 980 x 1560 x 45 |
| Source: | Donated by the artist |
| Year acquired: | 1998 |
| Installation type: | Movable artwork |
| Location area: | On a travelling exhibition |
| Signage: | Made in 1996 during the Truth and Reconciliation hearings, Penny Siopis’ Forgotten Family I is an “imagined” family portrait. Bringing together large scale photocopies of a father, mother and child, Siopis positions them in such a way as to suggest they share a space. The result of the photocopying technique is a faintness – their faces seem to be on the brink of fading away. In the background Siopis has layered a series of plastic maps of Africa, which she collected from cereal boxes in the 1990s. The artwork urges us to consider the effects of migrant labour and forced migration on family structures. |
| Themes: |
Intergenerational trauma Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) |
| Constitutional links: |
Labour relations (section 23) Freedom of trade, occupation and profession (section 22) |
| Related Constitutional Court cases: |
Justice Sachs in Volks NO v Robinson and Others (2005) |
Photographer: Ben Law-Viljoen
Photo copyright: Artist
NOTE: The process of photographing artworks in the CCAC is underway - we are currently working to improve image quality and display on the CMS but have included internal reference photos for identification purposes in the interim.