Semiotics of the Bathroom

Sonia Ward’s video work Semiotics of the Bathroom subverts and contemporises Martha Rosler’s seminal Semiotics of the Kitchen with an iPhone selfie-style performance. The work is influenced by performance art, performance-like behaviour on social media platforms, and the COVID-19 situation that sees performances happening online and at home. The piece reflects on the role of the mask in a time when masks are considered protective, and questions if masks (and masked performances) protect, reveal or create identities in the viewer’s mind of the performer.

The artwork will be projected in Umbrella’s downstairs Vault space from 14 August – 27 September 2020 with limited accessibility (details here) and can also be viewed below:

Sonia Ward is an artist based in Townsville who explores the boundaries of imagination and belief, often using puppet-like characters in physical and digital forms.

Commissioned through Creative Sparks, this project receives generous support from the Regional Arts Development Fund. RADF is a partnership between the Queensland Government and the Townsville City Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.