Blue Burqa in a Sunburnt Country

BLUE BURQA IN A SUNBURNT COUNTRY FABIAN MUIR

Fabian Muir - Blue Burqa in a Sunburnt Country

FABIAN MUIR - BLUE BURQA IN A SUNBURNT COUNTRY For Westerners, the burqa is a garment pregnant with symbolism. This series, shot during a 10,000 kilometre journey stretching from New South Wales to Western Australia, seeks to take the symbolism beyond the typical connotations of sexism and repression, and into a more metaphorical landscape that raises questions of migration, assimilation and belonging. During its voyage, the burqa reveals an unexpectedly luminous, ethereal beauty.

Marrying the burqa with Australia’s severe environment would not seem an obvious choice at first. However, it makes sense for those familiar with current immigration policies and handling of refugees, and indeed the ongoing discussion of a 'burqa ban' in the country. These faceless, ‘anonymous’ people, who come to Australian shores in search of a new beginning, are either turned away as they arrive or thrust into a harsh, suburnt country.

Yet despite the sense of isolation in the images, the aesthetic symbiosis between the burqa and Australia's challenging landscapes hints at a potential for the two worlds to co-exist and even complement each other in ways not imagined. These seminal images take on important issues and the Zeitgeist in a poetic and nuanced way.

While the burqa’s journey in this series – whose title is borrowed from Australia’s best-loved poem, My Country (Dorothea Mackellar)– might offer more questions than answers, ultimately this is intended as a series of optimism and hope.

Fabian Muir, 2014

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #1, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #2, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #3, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #4, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #5, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #6, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #7, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir Blue Burqa #8, 2014 digital pigment print on William Turner, Hahnemuhle, Matt FineArt paper 60 x 90cm - edition of 8 & 2 80 x 120 cm - edition of 8 & 2

Fabian Muir - Blue Burqa in a Sunburnt Country