Fresh takes

It seems like almost everyone has faced some sort of identity crisis since the pandemic began. To cope with the existential unease, many of us have turned to art. And the practising creatives among us have been making it with gusto.

Although these five artists come from disparate backgrounds and utilise different media, they are all creating work that grapples with identity, either individual or collective. It’s perhaps not surprising that the creative talents attracting the most attention are the ones trying to figure out who, exactly, we are now.

Shaun Daniel Allen (Shal)

@shalxvx

Sydney gallerist Edward Woodley says the opening night of Balun, Shaun Daniel Allen’s debut show, was extraordinary. “People sat on the floor and cried,” he recalls.

The work the artist known as Shal has created since