Statement
Integrity means being whole, unbroken, undivided. It describes a person who has united the different parts of their personality so that there’s no longer a split in the soul. Patriarchy encourages men to surrender their integrity and to live lives of denial.' Bell Hooks Liam used to self-harm when using drugs. Mapped in the scars is Liam's struggle with the pressures of a rigid masculinity, and the visual trace of his complex relationship with his father. Liam's dad, an Australian veteran of the Vietnamese war, suffers from PTSD. Growing up in ‘bloke’ culture, where feelings are deemed weaknesses and pain can be endured, Liam was craving paternal affection and recognition. Liam was never hugged by his dad, but he inherited his trauma. Liam's portrait is part of a series giving alternative representations of masculinities, where vulnerability can be showed safely as a remedy against toxicity.
Su Cassiano is a French documentary photographer and visual artist based in Australia. She grew up in the suburbs of Paris and got into photography later in life, after working as a movie critic and wanting to tell her own stories. Her work is characterized by the intimate connection she creates with her subjects, and straddles an often blurred line between personal diary and documentary. She employs an array of mediums, including video, sound and texts to gather different perspectives on the narrative. Inclusion and visibility of under represented communities has always been a priority within her work, questioning notions of identity, representation, social issues and gender. She’s very interested in the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including in Myanmar (Yangon Pride 2020), Bristol (Royal Photographic Society IPE 162, 2020), and Sydney (Head On 2019, 2020).