Zoe Porter (b,1981) has a drawing practice that she extends into painting, performance, sculpture, installation, and video. She studied at the Queensland Coliege of Art gaining a BVA (Hons) and a PhD. Personal mythology has been a central interest and starting point for Porter’s work enabling her to explore self and others’ transformation and hybridity. International residencies (Toba Japan, Philadelphia US, Geidai Japan, Burgundy France) have brought further opportunities to artistically examine personal change, and the imaginary adaption of animal life and humans
Porter’s work in Trace is Kachido Ama from Chiba, a watercolour painting that is from a series of works derived from Porter’s residence in Toba Japan, 2019. Here, Porter focuses on the Ama or women of the sea, an ancient female tradition of free diving to gather abalone, seaweed and other shell fish. The Ama swim from the shore to their place of diving. It was said they had always been there, born of the ocean and bound to the Ama traditions. The Ama were able to live independently in a self supporting community. Their affinity with the sea environment and each other, diving with only a hook, a scraper and a wooden bucket was a fertile zone for Porter to examine,
Porter has most recently had exhibitions in Melbourne and Brisbane. Her work is in the following collections: State Library of Queensland, Redland Art Gallery, Marc & Co Architects, Brisbane Lualena Films
