The five places that changed me: Patricia Piccinini, artist

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

I came to Australia from Italy when I was seven and that experience of migration had a profound effect on me. Both the sense of isolation and the sense of opportunity that came from moving here underlie everything I have done in my career. In Canberra in the 1970s I think there was a real sense of equal access to opportunities for people like me, and I will always appreciate that.

THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, US

One of the first trips I took with my husband was a drive up the east coast of the US from New Orleans to New York, and on the way we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Great Smokey Mountains. The mountains are amazing, wild and scenic and unspoiled, but give way abruptly to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the home of Dolly Parton and her Dollywood theme park. To me this juxtaposition of beauty and natural advantage against crass commercialism captured the soul of the US, and the paradox of living in the world today.

VENICE, ITALY

The first time I spent more than a day or two in Venice came in 2003 when I represented Australia at the 50th Venice Biennale – a massive art exhibition often referred to as the Olympics of art. My current art career is founded on the opportunities that came from that experience. On top of that, the two months I spent there has led to an enduring connection that keeps bringing me back. Staying in Venice regularly, for weeks rather than days, allows you to see past the tourist bustle to the strange, everyday core of the city.

BRAZIL

Since 2015 I have visited Brazil four times for my exhibition that toured to the four Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (cultural venues) attracting 1.3 million visitors. In doing so I've had a chance to see the diversity of this amazing and much underrated country. From the sophistication of Sao Paulo to the strange, architectural artificiality of Brasilia, from the natural beauty of Rio and the Amazon to the unexpectedly cosmopolitan Belo Horizonte, Brazil has been a constant surprise and pleasure. It is one of those countries you only ever hear terrible stories about, but my experience there was so warm and positive.