Miriam Mc Connon’s exhibition ‘Domestic Resistance’ conveys domestic objects and the human narrative of displacement and in particular the struggle to establish a new home following conflict. The work is concerned with the social aspect of conflict as opposed to the political one. It examines the resilience of the domestic space and its necessity in the struggle to overcome displacement and begin again.
Over the past year The Artist has met with several women from conflict areas such as Serbia, Egypt, Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon and Syria. These women shared their stories of survival with Mc Connon and objects that represent for them the creation of a new home in order to start over. A child’s shoe, two dead roses, a Syrian banknote, a ceramic plate and an embroidered placemat are among the chosen objects. The objects lie alone on the canvas disenfranchised from their environment. They have become evidential testimonies to the female story of displacement.
The strong feminine quality to Mc Connons work highlights the resilience of women in the domestic role, a role that often goes undervalued and overlooked. The heavy use of decorative patterns in the work is an attempt to pay homage to women in this domestic role. There are many narratives to conflict. In this exhibition Mc Connon has chosen the women’s narrative and in doing so exposes their resilience to rebuild again in the face of conflict and displacement.
