Modern relic IX: High priorities in low places
(2021)
- Medium
- glass (sandblasted, engraved)
- Measurements
- 43.7 × 24.0 cm diameter
- Place/s of Execution
- Adelaide, South Australia
- Accession Number
- 2022.798
- Department
- Contemporary Design and Architecture
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, Victorian Foundation for Living Australian Artists, 2022
© Jessica Murtagh - Gallery location
- Not on display
- About this work
-
Jessica Murtagh’s glass vessels draw inspiration from ancient Athenian ceramic amphoras known for their depiction of scenes from everyday life. Her 2021 works highlight human experience within the broader context of the social and economic upheaval caused by COVID-19. Modern relic IX: High priorities in low places captures individuals queuing anxiously at supermarkets, driven by an urgent need to secure supplies, particularly toilet paper. In parallel, Modern relic IV: All in this together, apart portrays individuals wearing face masks while queuing at Centrelink, evoking contemplation of the human consequences of the pandemic in Australia, specifically immediate mass unemployment and a reliance on social benefits.