Poison berries

Reflecting on her childhood and matrilineal heritage, the artist uses orange poison berries from her backyard, layering them over new and archival photographs. This act serves as a metaphor for the interwoven continuity of time. The inedible fruit, originally from the Caribbean region, now grows in the artist’s home garden as a thriving attraction for the songbirds and a reminder of present pasts.

In this work, she explores themes of identity, memory, and the interplay between reality and fiction. Through the lens of nostalgia, she investigates the allure and unreachability of the past, symbolised by the captivating yet harmful berries.


This work was exhibited in Photo Access Gallery, Canberra Australia in 2024. A poetic response developed by Meher Manda for the exhibition catalogue can be found here.