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Last month, ten WA artists were named as part of the 2022 Minderoo Foundation Artist Fund cohort, and our very own exceptionally-talented Carramar Visual Art teacher Sid Pattni was one of them.

Get to know more about the Foundation and Mr Pattni’s plans for his grant in his Q&A below.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the Minderoo Foundation and what drew you to it?

I was drawn to the Minderoo Foundation because they support a lot of initiatives which are forward-thinking and it’s not very often that artists get the opportunity to apply for $25,000 to fund a project.

How do you feel about being selected?

I’m really thrilled to have been selected. Hundreds of artists apply for the grant each year, so to be recognised amongst a diverse and amazing group of artists is very rewarding.

What do you plan to create with the grant?

My project for the grant is called The Story of Us. It extends my exploration of identity to the refugee community of WA. I will be creating a series of portrait paintings of refugees and asylum seekers. I will then be stitching approximately 10,000 stitches into each portrait using traditional Indian embroidery techniques derived from my culture. I will also be interviewing the participants about their stories and the audio from the interviews will be played at the exhibition alongside the portraits.

What inspires your art?

My studio practice is inspired by stories of identity, culture and belonging. I’m always interested in how we form a sense of identity in contexts that are alien to us.