Artist Statement
I'm interested in the relationship between attention and the sacred—in how slowing down and looking carefully can transform our experience of the world. I work across immersive video, digital collage and cyanotype prints, using photography and moving image to explore symmetry, repetition and the ways we find meaning in the landscapes around us.
For over a decade I have studied sacred geometry, primarily in the Moroccan tradition. Its structure and philosophy have profoundly influenced my thinking. The more I studied these traditions, the more I noticed that geometry, symmetry and repetition recur in humanity's attempts to access the sacred. Whether in architecture, ornament, ritual or image-making, pattern seems to offer a vehicle for experiences that lie beyond ordinary description.
In my own work, I draw on mirroring, repetition, rhythm and pattern not as decorative devices, but as ways of cultivating sustained attention. By making the familiar strange, I hope to create moments in which the ordinary can be experienced with fresh eyes.
The images and footage I use are gathered close to home. By working with places I know intimately, I hope to show that moments of wonder can emerge through attention to the everyday.
Ultimately, I hope my work creates space for stillness and reflection, opening the possibility that the sacred might be glimpsed within the familiar.
About me
I'm an Australian artist based between Casablanca, Morocco, and the Far South Coast of New South Wales. Through immersive video, digital collage and cyanotype prints, I use symmetry and repetition to create contemplative experiences that invite familiar landscapes to be experienced in new ways.
I didn't begin as a visual artist. I originally trained in theatre, completing an Advanced Diploma in Dramatic Art (Directing) at the Victorian College of the Arts, and spent more than a decade working as a freelance director and dramaturg. Looking back, many of the ideas that interest me now—repetition, rhythm and careful observation—were already present in the rehearsal room.
In 2014 I travelled to Morocco, where I encountered the rich tradition of geometry shaping both the architecture of sacred spaces and the patterns that adorn them. What followed was twelve years of study that have fundamentally changed the way I see. I've begun sharing this practice by teaching workshops in geometric design.
Alongside my studio practice, I've spent many years working behind the scenes in galleries and museums, including ACMI in Melbourne, the South East Centre for Contemporary Art (SECCA), and the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre on the Far South Coast of New South Wales. Working with artists, curators, registrars and installers has given me a deep appreciation for the many conversations that shape an exhibition long before a visitor walks through the door.
My work has been exhibited in Australia and Morocco, including at Craft Victoria, PhotoAccess Canberra, the City of Greater Dandenong, Northcote Town Hall, and the Institut Français in Fez and Essaouira. It has also been shown in projection festivals and public art events, and has recently been recognised as a finalist in the Maghreb Photography Awards, the STILL: National Still Life Award, and the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize.
Whether I'm making a video, creating a cyanotype or teaching geometry, I'm interested in helping people slow down, pay attention to the patterns within and without, and experience the familiar with fresh eyes.
For all inquiries, please contact: nottheonlycatwilson[@]gmail.com.
Full CV available here.