Immigration - Shellhouse by Nazila Jahangir

"Immigration - Shellhouse is part of my series exploring my journey of immigrating to Australia. The scene depicted in this painting captures the stately Parliament Hill in Perth, Western Australia. In the background, you can see an archaeology of the city of Perth, showcasing everything from the century-old Parliament House to the modern skyscrapers. In Immigration - Shellhouse, I portray myself as a hybrid creature (a shell-human) standing atop a green peak, dressed in a pleated skirt made of layered sand and ocean, with a distant view of a developing city. Immigration - Shellhouse reflects my search for a new home. The shell I found on Swanbourne Beach in Western Australia, featured in this painting, carries the ocean's salt and song - a small relic from the vast, untamed world to which I belong." - Nazila Jahangir, Artist