Kalyanii Holden

The Bridge | 2022 | photograph | 76.2 x 50.8cm

Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2024 - Finalist

[Image courtesy of the artist]

Artist Statement

The truth is, we really need each other. Being human is hard enough without adding COVID-19, wars, fires, and floods into the mix. We are all feeling pummelled by a continuous set of trials.  

I believe we are sometimes a slave to our own internal push and pull of sorrows, shame, and loneliness. I know by my own experience that, by spending time with each other, we generate feelings of hope, excitement, and joy, into each other’s lives. 

In connection, we are invited to rest, and it is in each other's sharing of both sorrow and joy that we can move forward towards a feeling of safety. In this image a couple soften and lean into one another, finding a piece of peace. This image was captured after the 2022 floods in The Gap, Brisbane, reminding the viewer to find a way to dance amongst the storms and sun showers of their lives.