Celica 1979

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: Produced in 2011 as part of a series of three images exploring similar ideas, Celica 1979 was developed with the assistance of an Australia Council grant for new work. The works of Gregory Crewdson, Jeff Wall and Tom Hunter are important in positioning this work though, whilst the work acknowledged their practices, Kozka's aims differed in his desire to specifically explore the reconstruction of memory and remembered moments. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: Kozka is interested in how personal histories define who we are, and how that defines us culturally. Celica 1979 as a work is similar to Tom Hunter's in that it explores cultural identity, through recreation and restaging of events in a similar way. Kozka has further developed this focus through by bringing in the perspective of memory and especially the interplay between the personal nature of those memories, and the collective sharing of these. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: This work was a finalist in the W&W Bowness Photographic prize. The judges were Magnum photographer TRENT PARKE , NGV's Senior Curator Photography ISOBEL CROMBIE , and MGA Gallery Director SHAUNE LAKIN.