Irene Anton (Germany), Invading Network no.40, image courtesy of artist.
Beneath the tall heights of eucalyptus trees and high above the moss covered rocks that call the Blue Mountains home, an exhibition with a difference will be displayed in April. Sculpture at Scenic World is an open-air sculptural exhibit, trailed along 2.4 kilometres of boardwalk within the spectacular scenery of the Jamison Valley.
In its fourth year with a prize of $20,000, from 15 April until 10 May thirty-three international and Australian artists will transform Scenic World. Exhibition Manager and Curator Justin Morrissey said that the exhibition is made extra special because of its serene surroundings.
‘Visitors to the Blue Mountains are quite surprised at the diversity up here. We present our artworks in an area adjacent a World Heritage National Park,’ said Morrissey. ‘A lot of people living in inner Sydney and surrounding outer suburbs may never have experienced this. We are also kind of governed by the environment up here as well. We live within it but we also have to treat it with respect. That is where this exhibition fits in’.
The exhibition will showcase artists spanning across continents from Germany, Finland, New Zealand and Japan and state-wide participants from Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, along with five Blue Mountains’ artists.
‘We are reaching out internationally now. We have four international artists. It’s the first time that we’ve started to see significant volumes of interstate artists participate as well,’ said Morrissey. ‘It’s becoming an event that is on the sculpture and installation calendar’.
Last year’s winner of the $20,000 Award was Blue Mountains based artist Jacqueline Spedding and artists that have been selected for consideration this year include Berlin-based installation artist Irene Anton and Illawarra-based artist and 2014 University of Western Sydney Acquisitive Sculpture Award winner Greer Taylor.
The judging panel is comprised of sculptural and installation art experts, including Sydney sculptor Clara Hali, Museum of Contemporary Art C3West curator Anne Loxley and Australian National University Professor David Williams AM.
‘Upon selection, artists are invited to visit the varying landscapes that our site has to offer and during the weeks and months that follow, the overall curation is determined based upon many factors including scale, colour, material and dialogue that exists in the many cracks, hollows, shades and surfaces of the forest-scape,’ said Morrissey.
Morrissey noted that while the exhibition is open to all modes of sculptural expression, artists should consider incorporating the landscape and environment into their vision. ‘We have to tread quite delicately within the landscape we are working in, and have achieved a 0% ecological footprint, so it works in the artist’s favour if they think about and are sensitive toward their environment,’ said Morrissey.
The exhibition offers companion public programs to educate art lovers to art beginners alike, including free guided tours through highlights of Sculpture at Scenic World 2015 by exhibition staff.
Artists’ Talks give visitors the opportunity to engage in an informal discussion and learn more about the exhibiting artists work, including New Zealand artist Lang Ea, Wollongong artist Greer Taylor and Northern Beaches artist Jane Gillings. All guided tours and Artists’ Talks are included with ticket purchase.
This year the Sculpture Projects initiative will present an in depth look at materials artists use to create their works in a program called metalheads, which will feature notable sculptors working with metal.
Along with the public program, on 7 May 2015 interactive teaching program Play Respect will offer a series of workshops, lectures and discussions in visual arts education. Designed for primary, secondary and tertiary schools, the program will be an opportunity for those who want to meet, learn, and engage with fellow art educators specialising in sculpture.
Entry into Sculpture at Scenic World will include unlimited rides on the Scenic skyway, walkway, railway and cableway.
Tickets also include entry into the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, where one can learn more about the area consisting of eight adjoining conservation reserves and national parks, which supports more than 100 plant and 400 animal species. The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre also hosts the exhibition of smaller artworks; Sculpture Otherwise.
Morrissey said that holding an art exhibit within the Blue Mountains Jurassic rainforest will be an unforgettable experience. With artists displaying a direct dialogue between the elements of nature and the physical elements of the artists practice, Morrissey said that no singular experience or memory of this exhibition will be the same.
‘I sincerely hope our audience will be inspired by the remarkable efforts that each and every artist has contributed to this exhibition,’ said Morrissey. ‘What we aim to do in presenting artworks in this enchanted environment is to give each work its own voice and allow it to convince our audiences of the story contained in or exhumed from the work’.
For more information and to book tickets visit Scenic World.
