Ray
2023, Linocut, on Awagami washi, 26 x 21.3cm
Ray Goodlass holds an unequalled position in Wagga Wagga public life as a prominent peace activist, Greens party politician, and gay rights advocate and activist. Ray Goodlass worked as a university lecturer in drama and is now retired. He was the first openly gay local councillor for Wagga Wagga, and deputy Mayor. He was a 78er and is a key member of Australian’s LGBTQIA+ community.
‘Ray’ is also the fortieth subject in a portrait series, in linocut, starting in February 2023. The work is intended to be a positive representation, it is to accepted. The familiar first or given name title, and nature of the work belies it’s underhanded making. The portrait project covers ideas of privacy, facial recognition, biometric art, moral rights, and the subversion of systems of power. Generally, the first the subject knows of the work is a signed, editioned, framed print arrives in the post. Imagery for the work is sourced or stolen, from freely available social media posts, showing the subject that ones’ biometric data is freely available. In this case Ray furthermore placed a photo of the work as his facebook profile picture.
About Tom Middlemost
He/Him
Dr. Thomas A. Middlemost is a print friendly, university Art Curator who works in regional NSW. His academic speciality is the Australian history of monotype printmaking. Since February 2023 he has hand printed linocut portraits, and specific trees. The artists portrait prints comment on: Identity; biometric art; facial recognition; art industry inequality; and societies changing social contract/ changing norms; and procedures.
They had their first solo show, Queering Space at Airspace Projects, August 2023; and their recent group shows include Small Works Art Prize at Brunswick Street Gallery, Wurundjeri Country, Fitzroy, Victoria, 6th to 19th January 2024; RECOMPOSE/Drawing Threads at DRAW Space, Newtown, 7th December 2023 to 7th January 2024; Close Encounters at Schmick contemporary, Sydney, 13th to 17th December 2023; Kaleidoscope II, celebrating the LGBTQI+ community at Belconnen Art Centre in Belconnen, Canberra, October – November 2023; the Printmakers Show at Tiliqua Tiliqua Studio, August 2023; the Incognito Art Show, July 2023; inside/s, at Gallery no.23, May 2023; and In Congruence, at Goodspace Gallery, May 2023.