Pink Pepperberry and Gomphrena, 2022
Kin Francis (they/them)

the cat who knits:
“Kin is a dear friend whom I met ages ago during an Invasion Day Rally, but we only got to know each other last year. I have always admired them and wanted to work on something together. Chatting over a bowl of laksa at mine over dinner, we talked about their heritage (Kin is of Burmese and Australian Heritage) and their journey to who they are today. Being queer, we both agreed that we get to live many facets of life while slowly uncovering more in the process.

Layering of textures is something I had in mind after our chat. The traditional Burmese skirt is made of vibrant patterns in different layers woven together in silk or cotton. I knitted a long skirt made of different wool that I collected through thrifting. The layers represent the different facets of our personality. The top half of the piece is a knitted tank top in mohair and silk embellished in pink pepperberries. We also added some Gomphrenas at the bottom half of the skirt.”

Kin Francis is an artist exploring queer futurity, trans identity and disobedience. They are a producer and events organiser who champions queer First Nations, Black and POC community. As a writer, Kin draws on memoir and poetry to write from the heart. Their recent writing is featured in Archer Magazine and 'Soft Borders, Hard Edges', a trans anthology co-edited by Sam Elkin and Yves Rees. Over the past decade as an arts worker they have been involved with 30 or so organisations such as Arts Centre Melbourne, Transgender Victoria, Next Wave and Multicultural Arts Victoria.