Maya Hallawell Un(CLAIMED)

Family photos are overwhelmingly similar across decades, countries and cultures. My body of work started with a box of photos discarded by its original owners, bought online for a few dollars. This box held tiny fragments of a life that was not mine – a life unclaimed. To fill in the gaps of this life, and to claim their story, I fabricated elements of their journey to Australia, adding intuitive and gestural markings and scratchings of dates and years, street names and landmarks. Un(CLAIMED) represents the mix of intrigue, mystery and affection I felt in looking through a stranger’s photos.

Influencing artists:
Heather Murray
Vered Gersztenkorn
Malgorzata Lazarek