Embodied Knowledge: Queensland Contemporary Art

"In a riot of colour, The Vertigoats 2021 humorously comments on the desire to ‘climb the ladder’ of the social and economic order. In this installation by Justene Williams, a vivid array of mannequins pose across an expansive gallery wall. Lurid, metallic department-store shelving further adds to the vision of a hyped-up retail environment. While shop mannequins once served as a material translation of the ideal body, here Williams stretches and distorts their limbs so extensively that they almost lose their relationship to the human figure. The artist is not seeking to create an absurd artwork; rather, she draws our attention to the ridiculousness of contemporary capitalism — in this instance, the images created by the fashion industry for veracious consumption." —Ellie Buttrose, excerpt from Embodied Knowledge exhibition catalogue