Mother of Millions on Whitford Road (2020)
04:11 min
Mother of Millions on Whitford Road laments the death of my grandmother, who died of a heart attack whilst planning to move to Australia, before I was born. This performance attempts to forge a connection with her that transcends the bounds of time and death. The song is a prayer that my grandmother used to sing every morning, which my aunty taught me. I’m dancing near my childhood home in a bushland reserve filled with ‘Mother of Millions’ flowers. These plants reproduce rapidly and can cause heart failure, on mass they form a poignant eerie landscape grounding my meditation of loss, grief and disconnection.
About the Artist
Monica Rani Rudhar is an Indian-Romanian Australian artist, who was born on Dharug Country in western Sydney and now lives on Gadigal Wangal Country in Sydney’s inner west. She has a BFA Honours from UNSW Art & Design and has exhibited at Our Neon Foe in Leichhardt, Trinity Hall Gallery in Millers Point, Gaffa Gallery Sydney, Dessert Equinox Solar Art Prize in Broken Hill and the Blake Prize Casula Powerhouse. Monica’s work explores loss and grief stemming from cultural dislocation, as she seeks to heal the broken links of her familial past by restoring and recreating stories, songs and traditions.