ABOUT US

REAL HOLIDAYS TRAVEL AGENCY Pty Ltd is a multi-disciplinary art and research project that explores and critiques representations of island destinations, and the impact of the tourist gaze on perceptions about islands and their people. The very mediums and symbols of tourism marketing are used to subvert popular ideas of the pristine, peaceful, island paradise in order to re-direct the gaze beyond the tourists' lens.

The original iteration of this project took place in the Winter of 2022 in Melbourne, Australia (during the COVID-19 pandemic, and at the beginning of one of the longest lockdowns in the world).

REAL HOLIDAYS TRAVEL AGENCY brought together two of my previous image-based works that reflected on the contrasting realities of Maldives; the tourism landscape (Redefining Paradise, 2016) and the natural landscape (Junkhorizons, 2014 to ongoing). The images from these series were printed as large-format street posters. A street exhibition was accompanied by a performance where Kareen took the role of a travel agent eager to take her clients on uncomfortable holiday tours that highlighted disjunction between what the experiences of the tourists vs locals. This website, an Instagram page, along with souvenir products, and video work was produced for this parody travel agency. 

The 2022 iteration of this project brings the travel agency to Charukeys Festival (2022) Male', Maldives as a pop-up style travel agent booth. REAL HOLIDAYS marketing posters decorate the booth walls and the agent (me) invites visitors to join the "Postcard Spa" to create their own postcards. Visitors will have the option to leave their postcards in our mailbox or share their creation on social media.