Zaachariaha Rameth Fielding[1] (born 1991/1992) is an Aboriginal Australian musician and artist. He is best known as vocalist in the duo Electric Fields, with keyboard player and producer Michael Ross.
His first performance was at a school assembly aged seven[7] or eight, when he sang Elvis Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes", and later said that he knew that he wanted to be a performer from a young age.[3] He was strongly impressed by Whitney Houston growing up, and also watched many different bands which featured on the long-running TV music show Rage.[8]
Fielding featured on TV music talent show The Voice, making it to the grand final with as the duo ZK, with Kristal West, in 2014.[8][2][12][3]
Fielding and Michael Ross have been performing as Electric Fields since 2015, combining modern electric-soul music with Aboriginal culture[13] and singing in Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara besides English.[14]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia in 2020, he went to stay with his family and started painting with his nieces and nephews. Returning to Adelaide, he joined a group of artists at the APY Art Centre Collective in Adelaide, taking the opportunity to develop his talents in visual art.[6][19] Fielding is represented by Hugo Michell Gallery and Jan Murphy Gallery. [20]
His work integrates traditional elements and lore (Tjukurpa) with his personal style and his own view of Country, influenced by his memories of growing up in Mimili. In 2023 he said:[21]
I approach my practice in a way where there is no division. I don't like to think of myself as an LGBTQ person or an Aboriginal person or a person of colour. That's not where I am at any more. I am looking beyond that.
Exhibitions
Fielding's first exhibition, Zaachariaha Fielding: Gold and Silver Linings, was mounted at the gallery from November to December 2020. He is represented by Hugo Michell Gallery and Jan Murphy Gallery.[6][19]
Fielding's paintings, along with ceramic artArrernte artist Alfred Lowe from the Central Desert, were displayed in an exhibition called Z munu A Titutjara ("Z and A Forever"), held at the Hugo Michell Gallery in Adelaide in October–November 2023, as part of Tarnanthi.[22][21]
He was a finalist for the 2024 Hadley's Art Prize for landscape.[27]
Other recognition
In 2016, Fielding was one of four finalists in the Department of Human Services Aboriginal Achievement Award for the South Australian Young Achiever Awards, impressing judges with "how he shares his culture and language through music – breaking down cultural barriers and giving inspiration to young Aboriginal people".[2]
He provided additional music for the 2010 documentary short film Ngura Ini Mimili Nya: A Place Called Mimili,[29] about a group of children in Mimili preparing to compete in the annual Ernabella Dance Competition.[30]
Electric Fields are the subject of a 2018 SBS/NITV documentary, "Voice From The Desert", part of the Our Stories series, featuring emerging Indigenous Australian creatives. It follows Fielding on a visit to Mimili, where he examines his early life experiences growing up in remote South Australia and his artistic and personal growth, and includes interviews with his parents.[5]
The 2019 short film "Electric Mimili", part of the Deadly Family Portraits series, was shown on ABC Television and iview. This film, directed by Isaac Cohen Lindsay and produced by Sierra Schrader, focuses on his and his father's family and life in Mimili, and how both father and son have been influenced by these.[9] The series of three films included one Elaine Crombie and her mother Lillian Crombie, and another about dancers Taree and Caleena Sansbury.[31]
Fielding and Ross wrote the songs "Shade Away" and "Don't You Worry", which are featured in the soundtrack for the 2019 feature film Top End Wedding, performed by Electric Fields.[32]
^ abFielding, Zaachariaha; Ross, Michael (9 July 2021). "NAIDOC Week: Electric Fields". DNA (Interview). Interviewed by Andrews, Marc. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^ abLlewellyn, Jane (23 December 2023). "Z MUNU A TITUTJARA". Hugo Michell Gallery. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.