Acting as a metaphor for the concepts of immigration and belonging, Mate extends my ongoing research on the complexities of multiplicity.

Inviting the viewer to reflect on the integration between different cultures, the work amalgamates the iconic indigenous figure of the kangaroo and approx. 700 Argentinean Yerba Mate tea bag wrappers collected for the past 16 years. Mate draws a parallel between the Australian colloquial word mate and the traditional Argentinean tea called mate, since the beverage is considered by Argentineans as an amigo/mate/companion and is traditionally shared between friends.

Mate aims to convey the symbiosis of traditions, feelings and psychological processes an individual undergoes while embedding themselves in a new land.