Maddison Randall

Childhood teddies 2023
synthetic polymer paint on paper
Clonard College, VCE Studio Arts

Artist statement:

I feel as if I’m not ready to grow up. There is a lot of pressure on young people to know themselves enough to make the right life decisions while still not truly knowing who they are. We are still just kids, having to make adult choices and to mature and change quickly. These issues are explored in this self portrait in which I’m surrounded by teddies reaching out to keep me protected. The mask represents the common feeling of wanting to hide from the world when it gets tough. Being faceless obscures aspects of myself from the viewer, making it impossible to recognise me unless you truly know me. By including personal motifs like the childhood teddies, I reveal a side of myself that isn’t obvious, and that the viewer wouldn’t know if they just saw my features.