2024 Emerging Contemporaries Exhibition Catalogue

Alexander Sarsfield
ARTIST STATEMENT
This project arose through a conscious effort to
bridge my time spent divided between Māori and
Australian cultures. I welcomed exposure,
inviting any and every question. Ancestral
traumas, my opinions on death, and what were
traditionally used instead of bobby-pins, were all
on the table. In episodes of co-creating, I found
renewed opportunities for cultural continuation,
cultural sharing, and cultural belonging within
an urban Australian culture.
The exchanges presented, extend beyond a mere
conversation. Each iteration of making is a
tangible acknowledgment of my whakapapa. A
navigation of living a Māori identity where most
of my connections cannot pronounce my
ethnicity. In orchestrating my own vulnerability,
I seek to bridge this dual identity and build of
community. With a reciprocated sharing of
experiences and mutual decision-making, the
other person’s input shapes my outcome. These
belongings hold these interactions.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Alexander Sarsfield is of Ngāi Te Rangi and
Ngāti Hako descent, and lives on Ngunnawal
and Ngambri Country. Centering his practice
around a reflexive process, Alex dabbles across
crafts to delve into various aspects of
sociocultural identity and interpersonal
relationships. More recently, he has been
learning Māori techniques of making to enjoy
both a community and research-based practice.
Alex recently graduated from the Australian
National University with a Bachelor of Science
(Psychology) and a Bachelor of Visual Arts. Alex
was awarded the M16 Artspace Drawing Prize
2023 and the M16 Artspace Local Artist Award
for the same prize.
This year, he is looking forward to presenting
solo exhibitions in the Goulburn Regional Art
Gallery and Tuggeranong Arts Centre, awarded
as part of the Emerging Artist Support Scheme.