Wilderness is a compelling,
esoteric and exclusive concept.
Wilderness photography has drawn attention to pristine, wild space; a modern manifestation of the Sublime in art. But wilderness implies its opposite: land and forests bearing the mark of human activity and exploitation. What of these places and the photographic muse?
The forlorn and damaged air pervading logged, regrowth and so called managed forests is in part counterbalanced by the vigor and tenacity of the recuperating forest ecosystem. These forests have a dignity which is perhaps easily overlooked; a beauty which can be compelling. The photographs in this exhibition by emerging artist Phillip England document these qualities.
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High resolution photographic panoramas made in regrowing logged forests in Tasmania, Lithuania and Finland investigate our relationship with and perception of forestscapes and natural places in the context of exploitation.
This work investigates and documents rather than advocates. These places are witness to human activity, exploitation and sometimes greed but they also demonstrate the wondrous spontaneity of natural ecological recovery. These panoramas operate at multiple levels, evoking contradictory responses.
EXHIBITION DATES:
Monday 2 – Sunday 29 November 2015
9:00am – 5:00pm weekdays / 11:00am – 2:00pm Saturdays
OFFICIAL OPENING:
Monday 2 November 2015, 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Exhibition to be opened by Dr Ruth Frost, Tasmanian College of the Arts, UTAS
ARTIST TALK:
Saturday 7 November 2015 @ 12:00noon
Image Credits:
Phillip England. (Main image) Forest near Daumantiškiai, Lithuania (2013). Composite digital photograph. Inkjet print on Photorag.
Philip England. Mt Morrison forest block coupe # 4 (2013). Composite digital photograph. Inkjet print on Photorag.