2020 CGW Adaptation catalogue

adaptation

An exhibition in partnership with

Suki & Hugh Gallery

26 NOVEMBER TO 20 DECEMBER 2020

1 | adaptation| 26 NOVEMBER TO 20 DECEMBER



adaptation

noun: the process by which a species becomes fitted to its environment

There is a wall plaque at the bottom of my parent’s garden that

reads ‘To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow’. There is a simple

truth to this statement, somehow it encapsulates the symbiotic

relationship between humans and nature, the great reliance

between us.

In this exhibition, nine artists respond to the year that was 2020

on the theme of Adaptation. In the mediums of glass, drawing,

painting and ceramics, their inspiration is largely drawn from nature.

The power of nature to both destroy and heal has been felt acutely

throughout 2020. We have sought sanctuary from her and in her.

When reflecting on and distilling major events, it could be said that

artists and creatives have an advantage. First, there is the haven of

the artists’ studio. When life’s necessities are whittled down to the

basics, the artists’ studio withstands the cut back. A place to retreat

and to restore, in some cases it has been condensed from a room to

a table, to an area of a table, to an area outside on a table. But it

prevails.

Then, faced with isolation and lock down the creative brain finds

new ways of getting things done.

When kilns were broken, framers closed or materials in short supply,

there were only alternatives, solutions, improvements. Even without

hope of an audience or an accolade. Working in a new realm has

opened opportunities for those willing and able to adapt. Whilst we

have been tested by fire, drought, and the pandemic the overarching

sentiment remains hopeful. There seems to be a sense of liberation

and satisfaction that comes with accepting the now.

Ultimately, belief in tomorrow fosters endurance, resilience and

gently encourages us to adapt to our changed environment.

Adaptation is a salute to moving forward in whatever environment

we find ourselves.

Susan Foxlee

Suki & Hugh Gallery


Ingrid Bowen

Susie Dureau

Sharon Field

Sara Freeman

Hannah Gason

Stefan Gevers

Isobel Rayson

Harriet Schwarzrock

Jo Victoria


Ingrid BOWEN

Never Again

2020

digitally printed glass panel

BOWEN Never series 2020

Ingrid BOWEN

Never Seen

2020

ink on paper

(next page)

I painted the scene of a fireground in the Morton NP viewed from the Braidwood

Road between Nerriga and Sassafras. I focused on the charred skeletal forms and

monochromatic nature of the landscape. I had never seen anything like it. The terrain was

baked white and rock hard in places. Confronted with the aftermath I considered how

images of the fires were burned into our memories with different coloured lenses according

to our proximity to the fire events of last summer. Viewed from a distance, up close, via tv or

phone screens, our individual memories will have a clarity, obscurity, or intensity of colour

indicative of our own experience.


Susie DUREAU

Storm song, verse 4 & 2

2020

oil on panel, neon

DUREAU, Storm song, verses 1-5 2020

In the Japanese art of Kintsukuroi, broken ceramic vessels are mindfully repaired with

molten gold. The practice speaks to the idea that beauty and strength can result from the

adaptation that follows destruction.

In Storm Song, Verses 1-5, I have referenced this tradition using neon tubes (in place of

gold) over painted panels. The panels depict a turbulent sea indicative of the storms that

have lashed Australia in 2020. These panels and their illuminated scars draw our attention

to the ways we adapt to the climate emergency and provide hope for a new understanding

of human kinship with the land.

A meditation on the process of healing in these broken times, underpins this work. Making

something meaningful out of loss, we make a song of the storm.




Sharon FIELD

Haning by a thread III & I

2020

watercolour, graphite and gouache on paper

FIELD, Hanging by a thread I, II & III 2020

Banksia integrifolia is commonly called the coast Banksia. This is one of the four original

Banksia species collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770 during his voyage with Captain

James Cook. I collected this cone recently in Bermagui, on the NSW south coast. I love the

character of these tough gnarly cones.

It is interesting that unlike most Banksia species, Banksia integrifolia does not require

fire to trigger the release of its seed. Rather, seed is released spontaneously on reaching

maturity in late summer. The species non-reliance on fire for seed dispersal suggests that

the exclusion of fire would not affect plant populations, but several studies have found the

opposite to be true. In areas where fire has been excluded for many years, populations have

declined substantially.


Sara FREEMAN

Breath of the dragon &

The elastic nature of time

2020

wax and egg tempera on board

Sara FREEMAN

Dark moon &

Emergence

2020

wax and egg tempera on board

(next page)

The two square paintings – Emergence and Dark Moon – play on a glowing circle of light

emerging from the field of perception. I feel sometimes like we are a camera lens coming

into a new focus. A lot of things that used to matter and fill our days have fallen away.

Surviving this year of constant disruption has required a new way of operating. One step at

a time. Anything else is too hard to hold on to.




Hannah GASON

Adaptation flowers, black, black and white, & white

2020

glass, wire, steel vase

I am in awe of the bravery and sacrifice shown by volunteers, fire fighters and health care

professionals in what has been a very challenging year. With flowers often given as a loving

gesture, I have created Adaptation flowers, with shifting colours that suggest the passing of

time and the hope of what’s to come.


Stefan GEVERS

There is no difference between life and death -

Passage #1 & Passage #2

2020

watercolour on paper

“It is a continuum, you transition from one state to another, leaving behind your actions,

words & ideas, never to be forgotten”.

I have used the Banksia as metaphor to explore the moment of transition. These 2 works are

a symbol of passage, reflecting my personal life in which being confronted with mortality

has now become a recurring feature of daily life and has led to many natural questions.

Observing this ephemeral fragility of life can however sow the seeds of great compassion

for those who cling to it as though it would never end. For me, awareness of death leads to

an awakened appreciation of every precious moment of life.

Like painting life can be unpredictable and full of challenges. These challenges will

lead to unexpected moments and can create freedom in an unexpected and unscripted

responsiveness. These watercolours are painted this way. With just the banksia in mind

forced to make a move with the brush and react to what happens. Working together with

the medium, blending skill and emotion, the process of painting becomes healing.


Isobel RAYSON

It'll last

Like no other

Come back

2020

woodblock carving

These woodblock carvings reflect an ongoing exploration of my immediate surroundings

on a small rural property in New South Wales. Like many, the events of 2020 resulted in an

abundance of time spent at home and in the studio, I am incredibly grateful for the quiet

open space I have there. Wandering around the farm offered an escape, as my mind slows,

and the reality of news and events demands less of my attention. In these moments I begin

to notice small details and objects that cross my path, the contours of weathered remnant

wood, old wire idly hanging from a fence post or the structure of a single seed pod littered

among hundreds fallen from trees above.

I document these objects in photographs and sketches and return to the studio where I use

these observations as starting points for new carvings. Focussing my attention solely on

these details and the meditative process of repetitive carving allows me to escape into a

simplified world of line, form and texture.


Harriet SCHWARZROCK

of filaments

2020

glass, neon, twine, steel frame

Harriet SCHWARZROCK

divide 1 & 2

2020

blown and mirrored glass

(next page)

SCHWARZROCK germinate 1, 2 & 3 2020




Jo VICTORIA

Catastroptic 4: Kintsugi bones

2020

Porcelain, black stain, kintsugi gold resin, copper

wire

Last Summer, catastrophic fires devastated the South Coast of NSW. Millions of animals

and birds were killed along with many people. These bones are a reminder of this loss.

The Japanese tradition of Kintsugi, using gold to repair broken porcelain, rendering the

original pieces more valuable, has been used here, as has the bleaching and decorating of

bones that occurs in some cultures. I have created this piece to suggest that trying to fix the

broken bones, or trying to clear and care for them, won’t bring them back to life. Rather, our

efforts need to focus on repair our broken ecological systems and addressing the causes of

climate change.


Exhibition partners

Canberra Glassworks is supported by the ACT Government through artsACT and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, the traditional owners of the ACT region, on whose lands we live and work and

where the Canberra Glassworks stands. We pay respects to their Ancestors, Elders, leaders and artists past and present, and recognise their

ongoing connections to Culture and Country. We also extend our acknowledgement to all First Nations peoples.

Cover image:

Harriet Schwartzrock, of filament, 2020, glass, neon, twine, steel frame

Courtsey of the artist.

Inside cover image:

Harriet Schwartzrock, of filament, 2020, glass, neon, twine, steel frame.

DUREAU, Storm Song Verses 1-5 2020, oil on panel, neon.

Courtsey of the artist.

Photography by Brenton McGeachie


canberraglassworks.com

11 Wentworth Ave, Kingston ACT 2604

T 02 6260 7005

E contactus@canberraglassworks.com

opening hours

Wed to Sun 10am to 4pm

2020 CGW Adaptation catalogue

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