I’m thrilled to announce my new body of work, Archive, has opened at Wonthaggi’s Light Box Lane.
The works 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 exhibited in 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 found easily in the ‘wild’. They do, however, 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 once again fill them with curiosity and wonder.
Please do get in touch if you manage to pop down to the coast during the busy summer period and see the exhibition. It would be wonderful to hear your thoughts on the works and as always if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email at debbiesymons@gmail.com.
Wonthaggi Light Box Lane is open 24/7
Address: Light Box Lane, Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre, 96 Graham St, Wonthaggi VIC
Exhibition dates: 3 December 2024 – 30 March 2025
Further details about the exhibition can be found Bass Coast website.
Image credit: Debbie Symons, Melbourne Museum C59780, 2024, oil on linen, detail, 40 x 30 cm. Image captured by Mark Ashkanasy.