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FRAGMENTS OF A LOST EDEN shares a personal vision of the forest, alongside a pronounced concern for its fragmented and vulnerable condition, and for its future. This solo exhibition by Emily ten Raa is comprised of oil paintings on salvaged South Western Australian timber and canvas. The works are the result of Emily’s field trips to the Northern Jarrah Forests surrounding Dwellingup in 2023, and of her involvement with local group, WA Forest Alliance.
WA Forest Alliance is an alliance of environmental organisations, scientists, and individuals who want more protection for the South Western forests of Western Australia. The exhibition is a fundraiser; 100% of the revenue will go to their cause.
“I am interested in looking critically at human relationships with nature and I identify myself amongst non-Indigenous Australian artists who feel an awkward sense of belonging here. After a considerable pause, I returned to my art practise last year. I wondered, how would I begin painting again, in a post-covid world, amidst a shocking climate crisis? The Northern Jarrah Forests provided me with a great refuge to observe, enjoy, and paint, while simultaneously exacerbating my alarm at the ongoing damage being done to this fragile and fragmented part of the world. The mining industry has been increasing its activities in the South Western Forests over the past six decades, and Bauxite mining has the most concerning impacts on an ecosystem that is in need of greater protection.”
For a more thorough description about the ideas that informed this exhibition, please read the 'catalogue'.
