ART of THE LAND
Your first glimpse inside Saint Cloche’s collaborative group show, Terra Australis Incognito, presented by the Art Annex of Showroom-X.
There is a place in Australia where the water is pure pink – a hue is so vivid you’d think someone manually altered life’s contrast setting. But it is real; as real as the sand between your toes or the salt sprayed on your arms. You can see it for yourself in Western Australia’s coastal town of Esperance. There are scientific explanations for the natural phenomenon, of course, but something about its presence feels wholly other-worldly, illusory, unreal. It’s a feeling that pervades across all aspects of our vast landscape, and one that artists have longed to capture for years.
In partnership with the Art Annex of Showroom-X, Saint Cloche gallery presents
Terra Australis Incognito
(This Great Unknown Land) – a collaborative group show concept celebrating the mystery and enchantment of our country’s almost-mythical terrain. “As a curator, I am very much drawn to exploring our awe-inspiring and vast Australian terrain and our rich, diverse culture,” explains Saint Cloche’s gallery director, Kitty Clark.
Bringing together some of Australia’s most talented emerging artists, the digital exhibition features works of varying mediums inspired by the landscape. Here, Showroom-X sends postcards from the digital showroom.
Evi O
With a curious eye and mind, Evi O’s art practice was born from a simple desire to express her creativity and stories without boundaries or limitations.
Through paint, she continues to explore the use of dominant abstract shapes, although the compositions she presents are broadly suggestive of earthly forms – animal, plant or constructed. “Vivid inspirations come from times spent exploring the Australian landscape. The sky that is often clear blue, pink, peach or sometimes grey. The land that is green and red at once, and the beautiful living creatures, be they animals or plants, manoeuvring trees and rocks.”
Justin Scivetti
Floating somewhere between the real and unreal, Melbourne-based Justin Scivetti’s landscape paintings imbue a kind of fantasy, inspired by the natural and built environment, exploring subtleties in colour and light to bring the works to life. “These works reflect upon our historic architecture and explore the unique light found in the Australian landscape that inspires a dream like atmosphere.”
Bec Smith
Melbourne-based artist Bec Smith’s signature geometric shapes reveal her background as a designer. Harnessing muted pastels and deeper tones, Smith’s works evoke an unforgettable sense of place. “[I was] raised amongst the rich waterway nexus that is the Murray-Darling basin, surrounded by river gums, red sand-hills, pink salt lakes, as well as ancient deserts... My work explores the juxtaposition of nature and cultivation that informed my childhood and family heritage.”
Natalie Rosin
A Sydney-based architectural graduate and ceramicist, Rosin’s work involves the intersection, conflict and dialogue between these disciplines, forming both sculptural and functional handmade ceramic objects. “The Opera House has always been a part of my life, from early years of viewing performances, to studying the design and history in first year architecture at university. This series focuses on the structure of the iconic ‘sails’ and their relationship between one another in terms of scale and arrangement. The aim is to also embrace the negative space between each sail, giving as much weight to the void between one another as the pieces themselves.”
