Spark 2021

photo credit: Christian Capurro

Sydney Contemporary Explore Online & Wagner Contemporary 11-21 Nov 2021

Spark was created after extended periods exploring areas close to home - the Bellarine Peninsula, Victorian surf coast, Lake Mountain and neighbouring parks. They share a common thread in terms of my interest in resilience and recovery in the landscape but also pose greater questions about the notion of creativity itself. What sparks our imagination and allows it to flourish, particularly when the future is uncertain and access to external inspiration is limited?

The Covid pandemic is certainly the only truly global occurrence in my lifetime and it has been fascinating to witness what has and will be created around the world in the wake of it. In Melbourne, if you were fortunate enough to have access to green spaces within a 5 km radius, chances are you spent many hours outside, perhaps rekindling a love affair with the natural environment, newly motivated to seek it out, protect it, and hopefully document it in some sort of creative way. 

Interestingly the pandemic conversation continually returns to the negative impact on humans, rather than the overwhelmingly positive effect our absence has had on the plant and animal kingdom. Our reliance on nature has only become more apparent with every environmental disaster, and affirms the undeniable truth that whatever happens to it, happens to us. Specifically, it is this concept of interconnectedness that sparked my creative response for this show. The resulting compositions are a delicate balancing act, illustrating the challenges ahead not only in terms of our relationship with the planet, but also my own personal journey as an artist continually striving to find the optimal place where process, technique and imagery meet.