Madeline Kelly’s paintings are often iconographical and surreal, referencing contemporary politics, classical mythology and environmental degradation. In Choreography of war reportage, the artist depicts an F-16 Fighting Falcon plane against a pattern reminiscent of military camouflage dress worn in desert environments. Painted in 2002, after the 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan and shortly before the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003, this work responds to images of military strength commonly reported during this time. 

Painted from photographs of terns taken by Kelly at Queensland’s Rainbow Beach, the darting birds represent people displaced by war and mirror the plane’s aerodynamic form. Inspired by mythology, Kelly often uses animals as metaphors for the actions of people, creating connections between human, natural and industrial worlds.