Throughout her peripatetic life, Dr Gene Sherman has engaged in deep dialogue with the objects she’s gathered around her: the predominantly Japanese fashion in which she envelops her body; the sculptural jewellery she uses to embellish – even extend – her impact, like punctuation points.

The long-standing director of the Art Gallery of NSW, Edmund Capon, once quipped that Sherman was “quite scary to hug” because of her dangerous accoutrement.