The Motel Sisters Giving as much love as they can

THE MOTEL SISTERS ARE THE CREATION OF PERFORMANCE AND CROSS-MEDIA ARTISTS LIAM BENSON AND NAOMI OLIVER. DEBUTING IN 2004, ‘SISTERS’ PARIS MOTEL (OLIVER) AND TACKY MOTEL (BENSON) TAKE ‘INSPIRATION’ FROM AMERICAN HOTEL AND GIFTSHOP HEIRESS PARIS HILTON AS THEY SKEWER THE WRECKAGE OF A CELEBRITY SATURATED CONTEMPORARY YOUTH CULTURE. BEING A SELF-DECLARED ‘ICON’ IS TOUGH. WHILE HILTON SEEMS TO STAY ONE STEP AHEAD OF IRRELEVANCE, THE MOTEL SISTERS EXPLORE NEW FORMS OF CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT, PERFORMANCE AND CULTURAL CRITIQUE.

IN LATE 2018, PARIS AND TACKY MOTEL WENT ‘INTO CARE’ TO WORK AT THE ABEL TASMAN VILLAGE PROJECT (AN AGED AND DEMENTIA-CARE FACILITY IN WESTERN SYDNEY). LIVING AND WORKING WITH RESIDENTS AND STAFF ALIKE, THE RESULTS – CLINICAL, BEHAVIOURAL AND CREATIVE – WERE EXTRAORDINARY. ARTIST PROFILE INVITED THE PROJECT’S COMMISSIONING PRODUCER JOHN KIRKMAN TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH BENSON AND OLIVER ABOUT THEIR WORK AND THE PROJECT.

Can you give a quick outline of how you two met?

We met at university, through artist friend Manizé Abedin. We all