CAITLIN E. LITTLEWOOD

Monster Highway

2022-ongoing

Analogue C-Prints

40 x 30 cm each

Monster Highway is an ongoing series of works where Littlewood photographs herself in front of large sculptural roadside monuments. Many of these monuments have been erected in Australia, for example; the big pineapple, the big lobster, and the big koala, to commemorate parochial industry and have often come about through private commissions. By standing in front of these monumental sculptures, not only does the artist give the viewer a sense of the true scale of the landmarks, but she also replicates vernacular tourist shots. Where a loved one or friend might stand behind the camera, Littlewood travels to these sites alone and instead becomes both subject and the photographer.

The series so far consists of several of Australia’s iconic “big things,” as well as large monuments in Sweden and Norway. The project began in 2022, during the artist’s first return to her homeland after the pandemic. Exploring themes of Aussie iconography and kitsch Australiana, the larger-than-life roadside monuments are icons of childhood and reminiscent of family road trip holidays, something Littlewood considers to form a quintessential part of the visual exemplars of the Australian national identity. Australia’s “big things,” the monstrous roadside figures, are a testament to the use of kitsch design where Australian motifs are employed as landmarks and tourist attractions in the expansive, rugged Australian landscape.