Kickbacks

Description

Kickbacks explores the uneasy relationship between political power, private interests and public accountability. The work was inspired by Rose Marinelli’s suspicion that some decisions made by those in positions of authority may serve interests other than those of the people they represent. It asks an uncomfortable question: when a decision appears to work against the public interest, whose interests are being served?

The title carries a deliberate double meaning. A “kickback” refers to a concealed payment or benefit exchanged for influence or favourable treatment. To “kick back”, however, is to resist — to push against a system rather than passively accept its decisions. The artwork brings these meanings together, turning a familiar term associated with suspected corruption into a gesture of defiance.

A female kickboxer dominates the composition, her extended leg thrust towards the viewer. Multiple, translucent versions of her figure capture the movement in successive moments, creating a sense of force, momentum and imminent impact. Electric fuchsia, violet and soft blue intensify the image, while the prominent sneaker sole places the viewer directly in the path of the kick.

The figure becomes a symbol of active resistance: a refusal to stand aside when power is exercised without sufficient transparency or accountability. Rather than illustrating a specific political event or identifying particular individuals, the work uses physical action as a metaphor for challenging entrenched systems and questioning decisions made behind closed doors.

Through its layered movement and confrontational perspective, Kickbacks asks what it means to push back against perceived injustice. It invites viewers to look beyond official explanations, question whose interests are being served, and consider the role ordinary people play in demanding transparency and accountability from those who govern.

In this work, the kick is more than an act of defence. It is a call to resist complacency — and a reminder that public power should remain answerable to the public.