Hayley Millar Baker: Entr'acte

Taking its title from the French word ‘Entr’acte’ – referring to an interlude performed between two acts of a play – Entr’acte centres a female protagonist cast as a vessel symbolising ‘woman’, holding the inequitable weight women are forced to carry and contend with daily, across the multitude of experiences, identities, and roles they play.

CASSANDRA BIRD is delighted to present the solo exhibition of artworks by artist, Hayley Millar Baker.

Gallery One, showcases the captivating and evocative moving-image, silent portrait titled, Entr’acte (2023). This powerful artwork delves into the intricacies of womanhood and the daily burdens that women carry. Taking its title from the French word ‘Entr’acte’ – denoting the interlude between two acts of a play, Millar Baker's work revolves around a female protagonist. This symbolic figure represents the myriad struggles and challenges faced by women across diverse experiences, identities, and roles. Entr’acte, (2023) serves as a poignant exploration of the unequal burdens women bear each day. Through her art, Millar Baker skillfully captures the focus, determination, and strength of women, showcasing their resilience in the face of emotional turmoil and societal expectations. This thought-provoking exhibition transcends traditional boundaries, offering a unique blend of documentary and fiction that provokes essential social commentary.

Gallery Two features Millar Baker’s striking photographic suite, I Will Survive (2020), consisting of eight powerful images. This series delves into cautionary tales, superstitions, and survival stories passed down to Hayley from her Aboriginal and migrant parents and grandparents. These stories evolve over time, taking on fictionalized or cinematic qualities as they are retold. They serve as tangible representations of the memories and experiences that shape our journey through life. 

Millar Baker is a Gunditjmara and Djabwurrung artist with an extensive exhibition history. Most recently, Millar Baker has been commissioned to create major works for RISING Festival’s Shadow Spirit (2023), the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art’s Between Waves (2023), the National Gallery of Australia’s 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony (2022), PHOTO2021: International Festival of Photography (2021), the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Primavera: Young Australian Artists (2018), and the International Ballarat Foto Biennale (2017). In 2021 Hayley presented her first early career-survey ‘There we were all in one place’ at UTS Gallery, curated by Stella McDonald which toured nationally throughout 2022. Hayley has won the John and Margaret Baker Memorial Fellowship for the National Photography Prize (2020), the Darebin Art Prize (2019), and the Special Commendation Award for The Churchie National Emerging Art Prize (2017). 

Millar Baker's artwork is held in significant collections across Australia, including the Australian War Memorial, Melbourne Museum, Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA), Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA), State Library of Victoria, University of Technology Sydney, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Warrnambool Art Gallery, Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), Deakin University Art Gallery, Horsham Regional Art Gallery, City of Melbourne, and the Chau Chak Wing Museum in Sydney.