JIMMY NUTTALL
MY BED MY BODY MY BAG
19 May 2021—06 Jun 2021

MY BED MY BODY MY BAG is an exhibition of new work that considers solitude, memory, desire and handicrafts.

In 2020, I unexpectedly lived in regional Victoria with my sister and I began producing handmade bags, which I sold to friends across the world. They were a connection from my remote post to my previous active and cosmopolitan life.

That year, amongst my collaging materials I kept a print-out of a photo I took of a photographic collage by gay American artist and filmmaker, Curt McDowell. His work portrayed “carnal abundance” of sexual and gay liberation during the ’60s through to the ’80s. He died of AIDS during The Crisis.

In 2016, I took a photo of his collage because I was struck by his gaze and his collaging style. I saw it during a time of romance and everything felt fast, adventurous and fun. I thought about this stark disparity of feeling when I sat at my collaging table or when I am in the studio.

I enjoy the pleasures of revisiting these feelings in the process of making.