Celebrating Contemporary Australian Landscape ~ 26 Nov to 26 Feb 2023

17 of my favourite artists from around the country will be taking part in the show, and it’s also an opportunity to welcome and introduce our new exhibitors to the gallery. Participating artists (in no particular order):

Catherine Parker, James Lyle, Liss Finney, Scott Owen, Matilda Michell, Harley Manifold, Giorgia Bel, Steve Salo, Lucila Zentner, Adam Galic, Clare Purser, Sergio Sill, Kate Nielsen, Alexandra Plim, Hiren Patel, Penny Verdich, Rhonda Campbell

Landscape is at the heart of Australian culture. We have a history of inventing and reinventing the ways in which we look at and think about it. Today, with fires, floods and droughts dramatically reshaping our world, discussions about landscape become more urgent and conflicted. Artists find ways of reimagining it to fit their ideals or concerns. They use shapes and colours of the real or imagined landscape as a structural framework for paintings; often showcasing visible delight in imbuing the materiality of their paint with the unique light and character of the region. This selection highlights this diverse painting genre.

Landscape is central to the work of many contemporary artists. Landscape paintings can depict a variety of settings, traditionally, mountains, forests, rivers, and beaches. However, contemporary artists often consider a wider view of the landscape, focusing on metropolitan and suburban landscapes, backyard landscapes and abstract landscapes. Contemporary landscape painters rethink the narrative potential of landscape painting.

Cultural shifts in the aesthetic appreciation of landscape have played an important role in our recognition and appreciation of contemporary landscape painting.

This collection of paintings in upcoming exhibition Celebrating Contemporary Australian Landscape highlights the way artists have tried to express the emotions the landscape arouses as well as the facts of its appearance. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.