Town Square Vitrines

Three vitrines, located in the urban tropical oasis of Town Square, host an annual program of six artists exploring different mediums, cultures and expressions. Workshops, In Conversations and Tours are programmed for each exhibit. Keep up to date through our newsletter.

Currently on display are installations by Sunday Jemmott.

These mixed-media installations by Sunday Jemmott was developed during their residency at the Hope St Studio with Griffith University Art Museum. Previously exhibited as “Diaries of a Rainbow Fish” in a gallery context, it has been adapted for the Fish Lane Vitrines, transforming them into “Aquariums of Delight.”

The installation aims to reconsider the children’s book classic, “Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister, manifested in portals of joy and nostalgia for passersby. The simple narrative follows a uniquely rainbow scaled fish, who must share in order to be happy. However, Jemmott, guided by found imagery of fish, and text excerpts from the book, likens this slow relinquishing of identity by “Rainbow Fish” as an allegory for the lived queer experience in Australia.

Vibrant colourful hues, glimmering imagery of fishes, and unexpected material combinations seek to harmonise the naivety that the “Rainbow Fish” conjures with the trauma of queer shame. Stark reminders of oppressive systems become apparent through text, and are reckoned with via kitschy imagery and colour. Striking a careful balance between play and melancholia, Sunday Jemmott has created a whimsical installation, a sanctuary, for the pictured fish to swim freely once again.