Atong Atem: ‘I’m going to be as loud as I want to be’

They say the personal is political – that our own intimate experiences can’t help but inform larger social structures. The same is true in the stunning photographic work of visual artist Atong Atem, whose hyper-saturated images are at once joyous, traditional, surreal and deeply connected to her familial roots in South Sudan.

“Historically, there’s an expectation that people from cultures outside of the norm need to shrink themselves, or remove themselves from the spotlight … I’m pushing against that,” says Atem, the inaugural recipient of the $80,000 La Prairie Art Award. “I’m saying, ‘I’m going to be as loud as I want to be.’ And I want to include multiple elements of my culture. I don’t want to synthesise it into one easily digestible thing.”

Atem, a 31-year-old art star on the rise, was born in Ethiopia after her parents escaped civil war in South Sudan. The family spent time in a refugee camp in Kenya before emigrating to Australia when Atem was six. She and her four siblings were raised in the town of Wyoming in regional NSW. She studied fine art in Sydney before moving to Melbourne, where she now lives. Atem talks art, politics and family with Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland on the latest episode of Good Weekend Talks.

The La Prairie Art Award, hosted by the Art Gallery of NSW, involves the acquisition by the gallery of a large four-panel photographic self-portrait by Atem, and a residency at Art Basel in Switzerland, where the La Prairie skincare company is based, and where Atem will head later this month.

“When it comes to the art world, it’s everyone doing their own thing in their own way at their own pace, and it’s really hard to feel like what you’re doing is contributing in a larger way,” Atem says. “I suppose that’s the positive role of art awards and recognition. But it’s also a bit overwhelming at the same time. I’d love to pick up a newspaper on the weekend and not see my name or face, but no, I can’t hide.″

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For the full feature story, see Saturday’s Good Weekend, or visit The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.

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