By Sue Pedley
Please note that this publication is currently under review and will be subject to changes.
I first heard of Womanifesto from Phaptawan Suwannakudt who I have known since she moved from Thailand to Sydney over twenty five years ago. In 2019 I attended the exhibition and public programs at Cross Art Project for the Archiving Womanifesto: An International Art Exchange, 1990s, curated by Phaptawan, Varsha Nair and Nitaya Ueareeworakul. In 2020 I shared a studio with Phaptawan where we collaborated on an exhibition titled, Line Works: River of the Basin, at Penrith Regional Gallery.
Due to the Covid Pandemic the Womanifesto residency in Thailand was reconfigured into satellite gatherings in the countries where previous participants lived. For the Sydney gathering I was invited to participate along with two other artists—Virginia Hilyard and Helen Grace who are also connected to Phapatwan and Thailand. I invited Kyati Suharto and Charlotte Mungomery to collaborate on a new work exploring drawing, sound and video.
Sue Pedley is a visual artist living in Sydney, she is best known for her multimedia installations, large scale drawings and collaborations. Responsive to the contingencies of the sites where she works, her recurring themes include the environmental degradation of water and its impact on communities and the natural world. Her work also focuses on issues of colonisation including addressing her family history as settlers in Tasmania.