George’s big day out, 2024

Once King George V was crowned King of England, he decided to sail to India as quickly as possible in order to be crowned Emperor of India. His coronation was held in New Delhi in 1911, and to celebrate, he decided to do one of the things he loved doing most: hunting animals. George set out with a hunting party of some 14,000 men and 2,000 elephants and over the next four days, he killed 39 tigers, 18 rhinoceros, and four bears. My work comprises each of the animals killed over those four days and serves as a means to remember their lives. While colonisation is often depicted as the imposition of dominion over human populations, the presence of the anonymous British soldier at the heart of my work symbolises the profound, yet often overlooked, impact of colonialism on the indigenous fauna of India.

Sid Pattni (b. 1986) is an Australian artist of Indian descent who unpacks the intricacies of identity, culture, and belonging within a post-colonial framework. Working primarily in painting and embroidery, Sid aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding art and its role in communicating the complexities of diasporic identity.

He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the Emerging Exploration Exhibition (2024), Nadiya (2023), All The Rage (2023), and held several solo exhibitions. He was awarded the Kennedy Prize (2023), Flinders Lane Gallery Exploration Award (2024), Khōj Cross -Hatchings Residency, New Delhi (2024), and was the recipient of the Minderoo Artist Fund Grant (2022). Sid was invited to speak at TEDx in 2021. His work is held in private collections across Australia.