Atong Atem
 [ARTIST STATEMENT]Mez Breeze's poem '\oriGaM[e,]i[,+ U]/' is one of the most unique poems I've come across. As someone who doesn't think in code, it was also pretty interesting untangling and deciphering it, which I think is a big part of the appeal of poetry as an art form. I love the idea of repetition and union from an observational perspective. I wanted to recreate those elements in my 4 gif series 2wo; the removed observer implied by coding and the instructional nature of the poem and the really evocative references to folding and repetition. There's a distant, dreamlike quality to this poem that I love so much. I wanted to emulate that with the looping of the gifs and the sense of a union that maybe was felt in memory or by proxy.

"2wo"
after Mez Breeze's '\oriGaM[e,]i[,+ U]/'

 

Atong Atem is a South Sudanese visual artist and writer living in Melbourne, Australia. Her work explores 'Third Culture Kid' narratives, postcolonial practices in the diaspora and her own identity and experience. She is committed to questioning and engaging with contemporary art, literature and academia through various mediums including painting, film, poetry and photography. Atong's work can be viewed on her blog (atongatem.tumblr.com) and her instagram (@atongatem).
 

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