Immigrant with ambiguous loss, 2023

‘Immigrant with ambiguous loss’ is a personal piece based on immigrants moving to Australia in search for a better life. The expectation of forgetting the old country and progressing in the new world with the promise of happiness and a prosperous future is a fallacy. This piece is a genre painting, depicting a woman in abstract form, with personal possessions, a vacant almost expressionless stare and expectations of living in the better world. Based on my families migration, where they were promised they would live like kings and queens, only to arrive and feel an ambiguous sense of loss.

Fuelled by his never-ending creative energy, Nunzio Miano has been fascinated with themes of identity, belonging and acceptance. Nunzio’s work explores his personal journey, reflecting on his cultural heritage and upbringing, and in particular the theme of multi
generational residual trauma.

Nunzio’s work ranges from figurative to abstract. Brightly coloured and expressive works contrast with dark and melancholy pieces that explore human representation, distortion and convey deep emotion.

Nunzio began his tertiary studies in the Visual Arts at the University of Melbourne. He then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Monash University, Melbourne. He has most recently studied at the Academia d’arte in Florence, Italy and completed an Artist Residency at Residenzia il Palmerino in the Florentine hills. He is self represented and has been showing his work commercially since 2018.