MY MOTHER THE COLLECTOR
My Mother The Collector honours my mother who passed away at the age of 88.
Her home was her sanctity. For more than 60 years she had filled it with an ever-increasing eccentric collection of antiques and knick-knacks. The collections were spawned from what she lacked as a child. Having been raised in rural Australia during the years of the Great Depression, on what could only be described as marginal farmland in the western wheatbelt, she knew first hand what it was like to go without. In contrast to her stark childhood, she made the family home rich, inside and out.
Her life and loves were reflected in these treasures. During her last days, Elvein's family kept a bedside vigil at the hospice, enabling each in their own way to come to terms with loosing the matriarch and a chance to reflect on her resilience, appreciation of beauty and a life lived.
Each diptych represents an image from Elvein's past paired with one taken either during the vigil or detailing parts of her extensive collection.
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