Harbinger
Backyard Beauties: Gang gang, 2021, acrylic, oil and metal leaf on wood panel, 35.5x28x2cm. Private Collection.
Backyard Beauties: King parrot, 2021, acrylic, oil and metal leaf on wood panel, 35.5x28x2cm.
Private Collection.
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Backyard Beauties: Red-rumped grass parrot, 2021, acrylic, oil and metal leaf on wood panel, 28x35.5x2cm. Private Collection.
Backyard Beauties: Willy wagtail, 2021, acrylic, oil and metal leaf on wood panel, 35.5x28x2cm.
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Backyard Beauties: Crested Pigeon, 2021, acrylic, oil and metal leaf on wood panel, 28x35.5x2cm. Private Collection.
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Natural Instincts 2011
Curator's Statement
It’s hard to be an animal watcher. Many wild animals are nocturnal and have evolved to hide at the first whiff of a human presence. In contrast birds, generally active in the daytime, tend to live openly alongside and seemingly impervious to people. Tweets, screeches, trills and chirps from flitting forms surround us when we visit bush or parkland. In our own backyards flashes of plumage attract our attention, delighting us and stimulating our curiosity. The overt existence of birds means changes in bird numbers may be readily evident to communities and act as early warning signs of deteriorating environmental situations. Indeed, shifts in the fortunes of avian species serve as a harbinger for outcomes of human interactions with the natural world.
In this era of the Anthropocene, where human activity is impacting Earth’s ecosystems and climate there is an associated effect on plant and animal biodiversity. Many of us experience a sense of impotent, paralysing dread at the frequent news of another lost species. Harbinger seeks to counter this paralysis by presenting artworks that respond to stories of threats and also those of positive interactions between people and the natural environment. The exhibition offers signs of hope which reside within the actions of individuals and communities to value and protect their local birds.
The visual artists invited to make work for Harbinger share an interest in exploring the different ways that people relate to and interact with the natural world in their art practice. Although each artist typically creates representational imagery or objects to interrogate this theme, they approach the subject from a different viewpoint and use different media and processes to do so. These include large scale relief prints (Dianne Fogwell), oil paint on gold‑leafed panels (Tiffany Cole), cast bronze sculptures and drawings (Steven Holland), lost wax cast glass (Megan Bottari), hand‑sawn titanium (Ginger Bottari) and oil paint on linen (Nicola Dickson). In acknowledgment of the importance of birdsong as the most frequent way we experience birds, the displayed works are embedded in a soundscape composed by Reuben Lewis derived from field recordings of birds that have then been manipulated in the studio. Drawing this work together in Harbinger offers a diverse display of artworks that engage with humanity’s complex relationship with birds.
Nicola Dickson, 2021
The artists gratefully acknowledge the support of artsACT project funding.
Artist Statement
When I moved to Canberra I was struck by the presence of native bird species. I lived for a long period near Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve where I saw for the first time gang gang cockatoos, tawny frogmouths and a variety of beautiful parrots and cockatoos. I feel so lucky to live amongst such precious and complex creatures. Backyard Beauties portrays a number of my favourite native birds. Drawing from conventions of altarpiece panel painting, I depict each bird within a gilded setting to allude to a sense of value. Detailed rendering conveys that the subjects are worthy of close attention.
Watch the short behind the scenes interview below, or click here to view on the MAC Facebook page.