Gillian Kayrooz: Five Ways to Say I'm Home

In a new body of photo-media work, Sydney based artist Gillian Kayrooz explored the ways in which migration has influenced the streetscape and local architecture in Albury. Five Ways to Say I'm Home captured the important role that local grocery stores play in the community. The small family-owned businesses highlighted in this exhibition offered a vast selection of ingredients for home cooked meals, provided employment opportunities, fostered a sense of community and encouraged moments for cultural exchange.

Composed of archival footage and newly generated photography, Five Ways to Say I'm Home compared the ways in which diversity is reflected on the streets of Albury alongside images of the artist’s home neighbourhood in Western Sydney.

About the Artist

Gillian Kayrooz is an emerging artist from Western Sydney whose practice reflects her personal experience and ongoing engagement with local communities. Kayrooz’s work is collaborative; she invites members of the community to contribute authentic impressions, in a bottom-up rather than top-down conception of history and place.

In 2018 she was awarded the Create NSW Young Creative Leaders Fellowship which led her to exhibit internationally in the Asia-Pacific region and complete residencies in both China and Japan. Her installation, video and photographic work has been shown extensively in solo and group exhibitions across Australia, including spaces such as Firstdraft, UTP, Casula Powerhouse and Artspace. She was appointed Co-Director of Firstdraft in 2021, where she remains in tenure.