A really interesting recent exhibition was by the wonderful Canberra based artist, Bev Hogg. The show titled ‘Strange Pockets, turf wars: wild life at the urban fringe’ was exhibited at Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Newtown, Sydney.
“Over the past twenty years Bev Hogg’s figurative sculptures have developed as a social commentary bringing together cultural, political and environmental issues that we face today, on a local and global level. They examine the intricate relationships and interconnection between people, animals and their environment – whether natural or built. Operating in the space between understanding and imagining, these narratives encapsulate the emotional and psychological attachment to place.” (Quote from Craft ACT web site)
https://www.craftact.org.au/portfolios/artist.php?id=286
This exhibition explores the urban edges. Edges which expand into the bushland which surrounds Canberra, the bush capital of Australia. A shared landscape of shared borders, between wildlife and the suburbs. This is a space that is not fixed but an inter exchange between humans and species, featuring the kangaroo and native and introduced birdlife. Bev is interested how we can live in partnership with flora and fauna, not as a dominate force, but how to bring compassion and practical applications to environmental issues affecting all native animals slowly loosing their native habitat. Each animal or bird is treated as an individual. For this exhibition Bev has looked at eighteenth century naturalistic interpretations of a strange new land, where for example a kangaroo was a totally new species, and acknowledging that now some of these species have now been lost.
Circular disks diplay birdlife that can live alongside humans, (on the left) ‘Adaptables’, the Thornbill, Currawong, Kookaburras, Wattle birds, Noisy Miners, Budgerigars, Blue Wrens etc, and on the right, vulnerable species in danger of extinction, the ‘Vunerables’ the small finches and larger birds.
Bev gave a great talk, and looked as striking as her art work!
Kate Dorrough 