Double Donkey Studio

sion of her visual language. The graphic qualities of the woodblock and lino complement her drawing technique. Art chose her and without it she is lost in the confusion. Migrating herself across the strait in 1997, she established herself within the expansive networks of artists and creatives that inhabit this Island. Completing an undergraduate degree at the University of Tasmania in 1999, then furthering her studies in Photography and Printmaking within the institution framework, a steady stream of exhibitions followed, work was sold, bartered and exchanged as a form of currency. Romeo absolutely adores the visual diary, a vast collection of books brimming with ideas, sketches and writings surround her in her home. Book making and book up-cycling are among the myriad of passions she absorbs herself within. Ideas are never distant in a mind that seldom rests, always churning thought and visual content. A book is never far from her side, as It is her sentiment that the seeds of future works are her responsibility to document then and there, as they arise to later be swallowed and digested. Her collection of visual diaries are extensive, a small library can be in fact be formed with them. A library of the written word and dense pages of inky ideas. For many a year now, her subject matter has been heavily marinated with the animal. The farm and the farmed. The domesticated cow, the pig and the sheep appear. The sometimes unidentifiable animal, the disassembled, the repetition and the absurd. Drawing from her life choices and supermarket options, the work is laden with the disassociation linked with the meat industry. “Industrial farming is said to be the worst crimes in history, tens of billions of sentient beings, each with complex sensations and emotions, live and die on a production line” Romeo explains. At times difficult to view, the audience is challenged personally and confronted by Romeo's work. As pig eyes are repeated on decapitated heads that glare out at the viewer, a sense of unease sets in and you are confronted. There is no 'nice' way to represent this subject as it is not a 'nice' subject. “It's a grimy, bloody and hidden industry”. Inked confident lines repeat and scrawl overlaying one another to show movement, the distress. Graphite is another favorite medium for Romeo as she handles a soft,dark 9B with ease. “An economy of line is so important” she explains, as to give her focused subject, be it an inanimate object, the n**e model or the landscape that surrounds her, weight, form and dimension. Her illustrative lines translate themselves well to lino and wood cuts extending her repertoire though printmaking. As a member of a community print studio, she is as at home with the press as she is with the ink nib and brush. On a recent three month residency in Northern Thailand, Romeo created and wrote daily, manically at times. Ideas poured from her over-stimulated mind onto paper. Journals were filled. The heat, humidity and the sheer amount of people discombobulated her. There, a sense of urgency and panic brewed, Identifying with the suffering animal, the challenges seemed immense. The immediate environment of the residency were not conducive to creating but her existence relied on the solace and peace she finds in making. Inspiration was on every corner as she focused her attention on the myriad of markets she visited. Flesh strung up by metal hooks, buckets of live and semi live animals, lifeless birds hung from broken necks, rows of dried fish vendors, it was all out in the open, all exposed, honest. Photographing the visual feast at first then returning to a make shift studio to pour over what seemed to appear to her, endless possibilities. Her works were large and confronting to the Thai people she shared them with, but also portable as a return trip home needed to be relatively easy. Her body of work confronted the seventy odd Thai people who attended her end of residency solo show in Chiang Mai. They seemed confused to why she would deal with such a grim subject matter. “It was at times impossible to explain due to the language barrier” Romeo explains, “I think it was really quite difficult for them to take my work seriously as I had literally brought the market into a gallery context”. “They thought I was somewhat disturbed, but no one really messes with the disturbed, so I was fine”. The way the 'product' is presented is heavily dependent on the culture. 'What is acceptable and common place in the Thai culture would shock and enrage in Australia” Romeo states, “The honest versus the hidden”. On her re-entry home, Luisa has taken a short interlude to catch her breath. Her plans for the coming year involve a three month residency at the Art School's print department at the University of Tasmania, Hunter street campus. She has proposed to collaborate with both lecturers and students in a series of workshops revolving around the animal in print. A community event will also be on the cards where a double barrel roller, yes the one's you see flattening asphalt is to be used in large scale print production. A long spell of recuperation and recharge in her South Hobart bush sanctuary is also called for.