It is the final weekend of my solo exhibition ‘Archive‘ at Wonthaggi’s Light Box Lane Gallery. So, if you’re heading coastal this long weekend, now is the time to pop down and see the works.
The works shown reflect on my childhood experience growing up in the ‘wilds’ of The Cape and its surroundings, the unceded lands of the Bunurong people. Each work reminisces on past chance encounters with native wildlife and, in turn, meditates on the silence of the remaining wild spaces today.
The six portraits in the ‘Archive’ are photographs of intimate oil-on-linen paintings featuring taxidermied Victorian species housed in the Melbourne Museum’s collection.
Some of these species were once locals to The Cape, and the works memorialise and observe their unique characteristics and features. Similar to early colonial representations of Australian fauna, however, the disguise of flora isn’t present in these works, and the taxidermed mounts remain in the pictorial space.
Many species featured in the Archive are no longer easily found in the wild. However, they thrive in specialised breeding and recovery programs where introduced pests are eradicated. It is hoped that some species may return to their ‘wild’ homes in the future, and their presence will again fill us with curiosity and wonder.
Wonthaggi Light Box Lane is open 24/7.