Image details: Narelle Autio, Tocumwal pub 2006, Type C Photograph. Courtesy the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney.
Art out of water : the fish of art Living in a nation surrounded by water, it is little wonder many Australian artists take inspiration from life in the sea and water. This exhibition, Art out of water, the fish of art, recognises the diverse ways in which fish have been regarded by Australian artists in the last century. It hereby makes apparent the importance of fish to Australian culture. Fish as food. Fish as still life. Fish as ceremony. Fish(ing) as fun. Fish as art.
Art out of water : the fish of art was co-curated by Brett Adlington and Meryl Ryan, for Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery. Brett Adlington was Curator at Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery but has recently returned home to the region he grew up in to take up his appointment as Director of Lismore Regional Gallery.
The artists in this exhibition include Doug Archibald, Narelle Autio, Gordon Bennett, Campfire Group, John Davis, Julie Fragar, Dennis Nona, Craig Koomeeta, Margaret Preston and Anne Zahalka among others. The exhibition includes paintings, photographs and sculptures, all relating to fish and fishing, but delivered with remarkable diversity. The exhibition at Lismore Regional Gallery has been slightly modified and includes artists with a connection to the Northern Rivers region. These artists are Albert (Digby) Moran, Melissa Hirsch, Jacqui Williams and Anita Lord.
The Northern Rivers contingent of the exhibition, particularly Hirsch and Lord, demonstrate an environmentally conscious spirit. For example, Lord’s work meticulously collaged using her own printed papers, alerts us to the changing environment of the Murray River from Lord’s childhood to now. Lord remembers “you could dive for black mussels that you saw from the bank. Now it’s [the river’s] thick milky body hides its dangers and renders everything under the surface mysterious and frightening. The Cod (the local boy) achieves hero status, while the introduced Carp (the rabbit of the rivers) is the rude interloper, upsetting the delicate balance of nature, summer and childhood freedoms.”
Bundjalung artist, Albert (Digby) Moran’s paintings in the exhibition reflect his affinity with the sea and local area. “I paint a lot of sea stuff… pipis, fish, things that are local. They’re part of my life and growing up. I’m an artist that won’t paint out of the Bundjalung area. I won’t paint crocodiles or barramundi… I always paint within my own area.”
