As soon as a child is born, you start preparing them for the day they will leave. Empty Nest will be a significant milestone solo visual art exhibition exploring the concept of an ‘empty nest’ through the intensity of nest building, home making, and reflecting on what, and who leaves, or is left behind.
Margaret expands her vocabulary from the two dimensional, embracing sculpture, installation and sound work to further her exploration of ‘the nest’ through the lens of her own experience.
Empty Nest invites viewers to enter a human size nest. Entangled within the nest will be remnants of four generations of family nest building. It asks visitors to consider what an empty nest means to them; the leaving, of being left behind and of what has been left behind in their family ‘nests’. Participants are invited to write a note, to their parents/carers, their children or their future selves and pin it to the nest. Over the duration of the exhibition the notes will build, creating glimpses of memories, experiences, and reflections of times of transition and of times past.
Empty Nest builds on Margaret’s previous Praxis Artspace exhibitions, Beneath and Becoming Invisible, further exploring and reflecting on lifelong human relationships.
Adelaide arts writer Stephanie Radok has written a sensitive and personal accompanying essay, ‘What is left behind and what endures’.
All works in the exhibition are listed in order HERE.