Emerging multidisciplinary artist Isabella Kennedy has unveiled her installation 'Ballast' at Firstdraft in Sydney, a site-specific work that blends paper sculpture, video projection, and sound. The exhibition draws on the unfinished research of her late father, journalist Les Kennedy, regarding the 1941 disappearance of the HMAS Sydney II. Through delicate stitched paper forms and immersive blue light, Kennedy explores themes of familial grief, maritime history, and the meditative acts of remembrance that bridge personal and national narratives.
This exhibition is significant as it highlights the rising profile of Kennedy, a Dagoman, Yanyuwa, and Anglo-Australian artist whose work exemplifies the contemporary trend of 'archival art'—using personal family histories to address broader historical traumas. By transforming rigid research materials into fragile, glowing sculptures, the show demonstrates how emerging Australian artists are navigating the complexities of inheritance and unresolved history through material experimentation.