Zane Saunders

His ancestry is with the Butchulla, Gunggari and Jarrowia people’s of Southern Queensland.

In the performance arena, Zane drives a very singular performance and installation agenda. Drawing from strong visual art motif’s, traditional dance, sound, screen media and contemporary performance, Zane crafts one-off performances embedded in story and location. Zane describes his performances or dance style as “Artistic Movement”, a deep theatrical play in particular space and time.

As an Artist, Zane performs ritualistically, drawing on an incorporeal language and his esoteric cultural roots, entwined with his religious influences. Behind his work and expressive output, is a motivation to reconnect with his ancestral spirituality, prompting himself and asking audiences to re- engage, re- imagine and utilise their cultural origins, to find solidarity within and solace of mind and heart.

Over the past 15 years, Zane has developed a very deep and unique approach to contemporary dance/performance, drawing from his indigenous cultural heritage, and from the many experiences of contemporary society. Importantly, this work is placed in many diverse settings and contexts, transforming formal spaces and re-invigorating informal spaces, Zane employs all manner of mediums and media, in realising visually stunning and critically challenging work.

Drawing from his strong visual arts background, he utilises modern devices, everyday objects, lo-tech gadgets, natural materials and found objects in building immersive installation environments in which to perform.

Zane’s visual art is in many collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, and the National Gallery of Victoria. In 2011 Zane participated in an Australia Council artist in residence at Location One in New York in 2011. And performed at the first Indigenous Triennial 2010 (National Gallery Australia).