Tarryn Gill, Guardians, 2016, Installation View Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object, Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide, Photograph by Tarryn Gill, Courtesy of the Artist & Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert

Leigh Robb explores how Tarryn Gill draws inspiration from ancient Japanese culture and the collection of Sigmund Freud, resulting in reverential objects for the exhibition Radical Textiles.

In the archives of the Art Gallery of South Australia, a curious collection lies in waiting, set to reemerge in the gallery’s next major exhibition Radical Textiles, which will celebrate the innovation of textile art from the past 150 years. “Guardians” by Perth-based artist Tarryn Gill stands in ghostly formation, protectors watching over passersby, denoting their very name. Tarryn Gill is a highly awarded artist working across sculpture, installation, photography, film, drawing, costume design and performance. She cites the bridge between the conscious and unconscious as a source of inspiration for her art, finding creation through psychoanalytic exploration.

“I am spiritual in a way that has to do with personally connecting to my own inner world and becoming more embodied.  I think the unconscious, however, you access it, is like a map to better understanding yourself and what it is to be human. More and more over time I’ve realised my art making is a means to express my unconscious, making tangible objects as a tool for my own reflection; an attempt to bring the unseen and intangible into reality and giving physical shape to what I want to understand.”

“Guardians” are otherworldly characters plucked straight from Gill’s own psyche, part-humanoid, part-animalistic, both godlike and demonic, and all caught between the ethereal and grotesque. Each idol is frozen in perpetual expression, some in delight, while others look solemnly outward, and a few even sit with teeth bared in challenge. The sculptures, brought to life by her multidisciplinary hands, are made from handstitched textiles and electronics that animate the figures through vibrant light and sound.

“Guardians” was born at the intersection of two of Gill’s interests, each flung far throughout history: Haniwa, ancient Japanese funerary objects originating in the Kofun period; and Sigmund Freud’s collection of art depicting gods and deities from around the world. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, found a lesser-known obsession with ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities. Before his passing, Freud had collected nearly three thousand pieces, fervently comparing the exhumation of these relics with his patient’s minds, which he carefully excavated for hidden truths.

“I undertook a residency at the Freud Museum in London in 2012, spending time researching in Freud’s study. My focus was on the immense collection of antiquities – which along with the red velvet curtains and dramatic lighting, give such a theatrical, reverential feeling. I enjoy the idea of ancient objects as a metaphor for psychoanalysis; that the digging up of antiquities is akin to the process of unearthing memories or feelings from the unconscious. This was something that has stayed with me and also the idea of a collection of objects like this serving as a self-portrait.”

Stepping into Freud’s place of worship served as fuel for Gill’s imagination, along with a chance encounter with ancient Haniwa at a museum during a residency in Japan. While the exact purpose of the Haniwa is not clear, many believe these clay-cast totems to be ritualistic forms of protection placed above graves, while others theorise that they were viewed as containers for the souls of the dead, protecting the living from unwanted spiritual contact.

“I was so taken with the Haniwa because they’re these epic terracotta objects that are funerary offerings for protection, but they’re also somehow so cute—at once ancient but also so reminiscent of contemporary pop culture. At the time I was experiencing a big phase of change, a death of sorts, so it felt apt to make my own protective figures inspired by this encounter.”

Tarryn Gill’s “Guardians” are sentinels of her own creation, carved not from terracotta, but instead from soft and forgiving materials like foam, stockings and fabric. Gill calls on the textile skills passed down from her mother and grandmother, hand-sewing the “Guardians” as an almost antithesis of the unyielding Haniwa. Channelling protection through “Guardians” was Gill’s ultimate act of self-care, while placing the onus on a power wholly outside of herself.

“These Guardians became a meditation on who I am via my dreams and memories, antiquities, my family, pets, favourite movies, and I used my old dance costumes as the materials. It’s so moving to be with this collection of works now because it’s such a clear snapshot of where I was emotionally at the time.”

Tarryn Gill, Soft, 2024, Installation View Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Photograph by Simon Hewson, Courtesy of the Artist & Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert

Through forging this external protection, Gill incarnates what is only felt through imagination, creating a tether from the metaphysical to the physical. Humans have poured their spiritual beliefs into idols for millennia, etching the likeness of gods into effigies of blessing and protection. Art is often no different for countless individuals, with their creations often serving as a means of survival. When reflecting on this, Gill says,

“I now more deliberately approach art as a way I can give myself what it is that I need. It was protection in the case of the Guardians. More recently I had a solo exhibition at Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert called Soft, a title which acted as a mantra I needed for myself in my creative process and a personal reminder to keep finding softness in a world that is often so hard. This show was also an opportunity to create an experiential installation—a theatrical stage for my works. Since I was a kid, I was moved by the deeply reverential way I’d see art installed in galleries. Like being in nature, in the presence of art I would feel awe. It’s a beautiful way to be able to contemplate my place in the world.”

Gill’s words bring forth some stark truths and more than a few existential musings. Truth: through self-reflection, we can drift closer to a higher power. Musing: could a higher power be our own vast subconscious, dormant and ripe for the tapping? Truth: only death holds the answers to what awaits in the afterlife. Musing: could art be considered a glimpse between our world and the next? Truth: Tarryn Gill strays closer to this veil than most. Musing: what wonders could we uncover if we approached our mortality as boldly as her?

Tarryn Gill’s “Guardians” features in Radical Textiles at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 23 November 2024 to 30 March 2025. 

About Leigh Robb

Leigh Robb joined the Art Gallery of South Australia as the inaugural Curator of Contemporary Art in 2016. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Psychology at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, and her Masters in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. With twenty years of experience in the arts Leigh’s previous roles include Curator at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA), Associate Director at Thomas Dane Gallery, London, and Head of Education & Internship Programs at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. Leigh has curated over fifty exhibitions and has a reputation for working closely with artists to produce ambitious and memorable Australian and international projects.

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Adelaide | exhibition | G37