Immersive and thought-provoking exhibition 'Forecast' explores Indigenous viewpoints on nature as family, promoting self-reflection and nurturing a deeper connection.
The Art Gallery of Western Australia's latest exhibition offers a unique opportunity for individuals of all ages and capabilities to take a moment, engage their senses, and establish a profound connection with the surrounding environment.
Forecast features oversized collaborative photomontage pieces created by Ballardong Noongar artists Dianne Jone and Eva Fernandez, of Spanish parentage, as they delve into the artists' individual family backgrounds.
In a collective statement, Jone and Fernandez articulate their artwork as a means showcasing intertwined generations of families and forests that offer a range of contemplative experiences for viewers.
"In Sovereign Sisters, three young Noongar women rule the world," they said.
"They subvert and repossess the symbolic trappings of colonial powers - crown, thrones, and robes reminiscent of empires as Eva's practice explores the evocations of the Spanish Golden Age.
"These young women are Dianne's own nieces - Wenonah, Nakitta and Jaydah. The trees and rising water are drawn here from photographs of the bushland and river of York, where Dianne was born and raised.
"Traditional lands, heavily farmed battling the tide of now commonly known spectres - salination, drought, fires, floods.
"The water is here. The land is speaking. Who is listening?"
Audiences are invited to contribute to Disappearing Forests by painting evaporating treescapes with water and Weather Patterns, a daily changing installation that reflects currents, atmospheres, and connections.
AGWA's Head of Learning and Creativity Research, Lilly Blue, said Forecast is about making connections with each other and our environment, storytelling and sharing.
"It is remarkable to see so many adults, many of whom have not explored any kind of artmaking since they were young children, engage in a painting experience that is low risk, and full of opportunities for experimentation and delight," Ms Blue said.
The exhibit is a joint effort involving AGWA's Head of Learning and Creativity Research, Ms Blue, ECU's Centre for People Place and Planet artist-scholar, Dr. Jo Pollitt, as well as Ms Jones and Ms Fernandez.
"Forecast offers a moment to be present with the complexity of environmental crisis to practise being attuned and more sensitively responsive in unstable times," ECU's Dr Jo Pollitt said.
Continuous dialogue with the Bureau of Meteorology, Forecast represents a groundbreaking initiative that bridges the gap between arts, science, education, and health.
It provides a platform to tackle the growing eco-anxiety among different age groups, while also enhancing our capacity to effectively address crises through the arts, emphasising compassion, mindfulness, and support.
Bureau of Meteorology WA Manager, Hazard Preparedness and Response, James Ashley said the collaboration is special as it brings together artistic, Indigenous and scientific ideas.
"It provides an opportunity for the Bureau to explore creative ways of nurturing a deeper engagement with the environment to help improve people's awareness, connection and responsiveness to the weather around us," Mr Ashley said.
The display carries on the cooperative curatorial methods of Gallery 09, the participatory exhibition area at The Art Gallery of Western Australia overseen by Ms Blue, the Head of Learning and Creativity Research.
Exhibitions at Gallery 09 are crafted with a philosophy that goes beyond mere learning, aiming to involve individuals of various ages and skills.
This strategy promotes artist-driven, non-instructive, intertwined, and emotional interactions with art, fostering more profound connections for the future.
The exhibition will be officially opened on Thursday 16 May and will run until February 2025. Entry is free.
