In 1842, Ralph Reid emigrated with his wife Emily from Scotland to Australia. He was a sheep farmer and had a family of 12 children. He committed suicide on April 24, 1868 and was buried in un-consecrated ground in a single grave near the Queensland, NSW border. Ralph Reid was Stephen Bird’s great-great grandfather.
Bird’s cousin Lyn Spain, discovered the grave in 2009. In 2013, Bird together with Neil Irons and Paul Smith met to undertake a journey into the outback to explore this family myth in closer detail. For this exhibition, Bird’s work revolves around the expedition and he explores traditions of how traumatic acts echo through the lives of future generations.
Gould Galleries
12 November to 6 December, 2014
Melbourne
The Executioner Makes a Cup, 2014, glazed ceramic, 28 x 30 x 18cm
Courtesy the artist and Gould Galleries, Melbourne
