Tracey Osborne
Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga exhibiting artist
Skin (2016-2020) Dried Soy Milk Skins
Tracey’s current practice is drawn from found objects and traces which serve to ground her in a world increasingly unstable and unrecognisable. Walking daily is part of a process of accrual picking up what others have left behind or lost and finding connection.
Living in a radically altered city has meant trying to find place, meaning and a sense of belonging. These found things speak of shared lives and shared experiences and although Tracey may not know the people who have left their trace for her to find she feels linked to them and consequently more grounded. The resulting work is not much altered from its fundamental state; often the act of accruing is enough to form a link and build a connection to the artefacts. Some ask for more attention than others.
In 'Clusterfuck' Tracey collected condoms from the Manchester Street area where she lived during her house re-build. In 'Skin', the artist collected the skin from the top of the soy milk heated for her morning coffee. As her house gets more cluttered Tracey is trying to move away from accrual, and list making is slowly taking over to record engagement and accrue daily experiences.
Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga 2020
For many of us lockdown was a time of reflection and introspection; a time for quiet and to look inwards. I treasured the time I had and used it to re-connect with myself while being disconnected from others. Due to lockdown restrictions the ability to ‘make do’ came to the fore and I discovered new ways to produce work with what was at hand.
The work I made for Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga was informed by poems printed on baking paper and lists I made during lockdown. During that quiet time, I found I was more aware of my surroundings and what I share my space with. My table is a dumping ground and although it is a mess it is also a snapshot of my days. I made a list of what was on my table then expanded to take in what else was in the room. This monoprint list on the stock provided was the work I created for Shared Lines: Pūtahitanga.