Kieran Butler, Sock Masks (masks for my being, becoming) 1 - 30, 2023 – present. Custom balaclava’s made from my old socks. Reclaimed combination knitted jersey, polyester and rasant stitching. Medium size. 
Kieran Butler, I’m on a double edge with you, hanging on a moment of truth, 2025. Performance (00:30:00). Custom made reverse button down shirts. Reclaimed cotton bedsheets, polyester stitching. Custom balaclava’s made from my old socks. Reclaimed combination knitted jersey, polyester and rasant stitching. Medium size. Cinder Block Platform and grunt strap, 117cm w x 570cm d x 19cm h. Performed by Anika de Ruyter and Georgia Rudd. 
Kieran Butler, Kissing Masks (giving and receiving) 1 - 2, 2025. Custom balaclava’s made from my old socks. Reclaimed combination knitted jersey, jumbo acrylic zipper, polyester and rasant stitching. Medium size. 
Kieran Butler, A Gift of Cherry Guava’s and Hibiscus Flowers: Part 2, installation view, 2025. And Cherry Guavas and Hibiscus Flowers, 2025. Mural. Interior house paint. 390cm x 767cm.
Kieran Butler, The Sky is burning and ash is raining, cut to the feeling, 2019 - present. Digital lustre print. Custom painted reclaimed timber frame. 420mm x 594mm. 
Kieran Butler, Sock Masks (masks for my being, becoming) 1 - 30, 2023 – present. Custom balaclava’s made from my old socks. Reclaimed combination knitted jersey, polyester and rasant stitching. Medium size. 
Kieran Butler, Gifts of cherry guava’s and hibiscus flowers (lessons from every past life I’ve lived so far), 2025. Patchwork and applique backdrop. Reclaimed combination textiles, polyester and rasant stitching, grunt straps. 500cm x 305cm. 



22 May - 22 June 2025. Trocadero Projects, VIC Au.

A Gift of Cherry Guavas and Hibiscus Flowers reflects on the complexities of gift economies within cultural, environmental, familial, generational, and queer contexts. The work functions as a meditation on generational and familial gifts as both acts of love and survival strategies, posing them as provocations for deeper reflection. These offerings are addressed to myself, my ancestors, my descendants, and those I love in the present, unpacking the duality of inherited gifts that can be simultaneously nurturing, hostile, nostalgic, and beneficial to our contemporary moment and imagined futures. 

Like an ouroboros or a double-edged knife, A Gift of Cherry Guava’s and Hibiscus Flowers: Part 2 considers the tension and release of these gifts. How long is it important to remain in a state of tension and at what point do we let them slack and free fall or float on their own?

At the heart of the exhibition are garments made from reclaimed textiles and imagery of cherry guavas and hibiscus flowers. Each a gift passed down from my kin, my Mauritian ancestors and grandparents. These plants, with their delicious fruits and vibrant blooms, embody a paradox—while they offer beauty and sustenance, they also threaten the biodiversity of both Australian and Mauritian ecosystems. Through these symbols, I am exploring the responsibilities tied to inheritance: the gifts I have received, the ones I am yet to give, and the ways in which reciprocity can be practiced with intention and care.

This exhibition asks: How do we embody the responsibilities that come with inherited gifts? How can we engage in gift economies thoughtfully, with love and care, to ensure that the world we pass on is better than the one we received?

https://www.trocaderoprojects.org.au/program/kieran-butler-a-gift-of-cherry-guavas-and-hibiscus-flowers


Home
About
CV
Contact
Shop
Instagram
Links