ZAACHARIAHA FIELDING
Creativity runs through this Icon’s blood.
From a long line of multi-disciplinary artists, including contemporary painter and photographer Robert Fielding, Zaachariaha Fielding seems destined to excel in whatever pursuit he turns his hand to.
As the frontman of electronic duo Electric Fields—who represented Australia at Eurovision 2024—Zaachariaha performs in Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and English, seamlessly weaving culture, music, and fashion into every performance.
Beyond music, he creates energetic abstract paintings at the APY Art Centre Collective in Adelaide, exploring themes of culture, identity and emotion. His work has received national acclaim, including the 2023 Wynne Art Prize, with further recognition from the Ramsay Art Prize and NATSIAAs.
We sat down with Zaachariaha to discover the role fashion plays in his artistic identity and the gallery he likes to introduce visitors to.
Is there one spot in the city that you like to introduce people to?
I like to introduce people to the APY Art Centre Collective in Adelaide. I might be biased, but where I get to be situated there are over 36 different language groups for Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal clans here.
I encourage people to go — not just to explore and buy art but also hear the stories of the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara people and what they're painting about, what the songlines mean, why certain palettes are chosen. And as a plus, I work there — I get to paint alongside these legends!
What do you hope people feel when they see or hear your work?
When people experience my work, I want them to take away a sense of self, a sense of identity. Maybe even a memory they'd kept very dear to themselves.
What role does fashion play in your artistic identity?
Fashion plays a very, very big role. In fashion, you can find a really important voice that only you understand. I encourage you to find any fabric, any material, any shape. If it resonates with your personality, you can tell a story through it, and you are allowed to do that in the fashion world — there’s no rules in here, only honesty and trust!
Nothing's more attractive than someone who knows who they are. That to me is the most beautiful thing.
You’ve performed across the world, but where in Adelaide grounds you?
Anywhere in Adelaide I can go, I will come up with an idea. I will come up with anything that is in that realm... South Australia is my home and my identity. Anyone who comes from South Australia, I am a part of them, as well as they are a part of me.
STEAL THEIR STYLE
Zaachariaha wears gowns by Kyah Amanita.
