One National Park, Three Rivers and Nine Artists

Something has happened, I'm sure that someone, somehow has picked us up and moved us to a parallel universe. Why? You ask! It's like this, I've been taking notice of the creatives in our community, the people who tell our stories, record our histories and even look into dark inner head spaces and extract the dim and dark moments that haunt us.  The stories have become bold, big and told with a  sense of urgency that says notice me, NO LOOK AT ME and then it grabs, caresses you and flashes its blue eyes at you and you are gone, its like a thunderbolt. You are in love.

Willandra Three Rivers is an extension of MarraMarra, in that it continues this journey of exploring our space, with our artists and through a process of collaboration.  This approach, used with the sculpture symposium as well, puts each creative in the same space and they are asked too look, listen, feel and fall into the very soul of the earth and find the stories that resonate and bring these to life. It features some of the same artists involved in MarraMarra, but puts them into a different context.

Dr Neil Overton, in his address at the opening, reminded us of the how Australian Artists over the years have through collaborative the gathering of camping and working beside each other,  have pushed the visual arts in new and interesting ways. They have developed a styles  (schools) of art that represented place and time, influenced by the outside world as well, but with a lens that truly identified place. He spoke of how often the arts in Australia has been influenced by the overseas arts movements, possibly because of the cultural cringe that is so much of how we saw (and see)  ourselves. As I listen to what he is says, it dawns on me that we devalue what we do at a local or regional level because we believe we are less than our city cousins or even those from the old world, we expect to see the chocolate box painting on the wall of the gallery, more so so than wow wow. We rarely see growth, radicalism or to be emotionally engaged to the extent that tears well up and slide down your cheeks.

Dr Overton reminded us that across the country there was a growth in the arts sector that could be best described as regionalism arts movement, built on a new collaborative approach, that was challenging the arts field, because it's telling our stories in a way that excites and emotionally engages you.

Nine artists living together in the shearing quarters on what was once a sheep station on the edge of the Willandra Creek.  Willandra Station is now a National Park and this project, this collaboration of creatives was partially funded by NSW National Parks, Griffith City Council through is Regional Art Gallery and Western Riverina Arts.  Willandra is one of those iconic Australian landscapes where the sky goes forever and the horizon in any direction actually appears as though you can see the curvature of the earth. The Wiradjuri people as they hunted across these grasslands would never have doubted that the earth was indeed round because they could see it.

The Artists who participated in this collaborative project (missing Cory McKenzie)

This is a beautiful and moving experience, as you move through the gallery and are drawn to each work, each telling its own story of this place called Willandra.  Mel Baulch continues too challenge us with her work, stark, bare creek gullies abstract and frighteningly beautiful each and every one, no longer the pretty picture postcard now its the emotional and rawness that draws you in.

Jo Southern's eye for exquisite detail, had me in tears. Why? To notice the smallest of living things and to bring life to this world of nature is a gift.  Jo works in a variety of mediums and you are drawn to her folded cards and wistfully search them for the hidden memories.  Its contemplative and evocative, in same way that the sky reveals itself at night on that vast plane.

I suppose I'm going suffer the same risk as Neil if I don't mention each of the artists.  Each is a very different interpreter and story teller. Cory McKenzie is a young man who continues to challenge himself and explore how he tells story. His Willandra Moth Dreaming series is mesmerising in its simplicity and yet small detail is tells us of deep connection to place. His work is very different to what was presented in MarraMarra, and you can see how he is soaking in the energy from the space he is working in and also from those around him.

For me one of most humbling aspects of these recent exhibitions is the ability of  this lands first people, who have this long continuos connection to land and place, and these Songlines that connect now to the Dreaming, are still using elements of this story telling to tell the stories of now.  These elements, symbols and devices have been used of at least 60,000 years.  The printed book has been around for only 700 years.

Willandra "Mud and Dust" (triptych) is what our little part of the planet has become over the last 18 months, what started as a summer exploration of the flat plains beyond Hillston, has since the winter rains began a landscape of full of colour, water and mud.  Kerri Weymouth has, according to the beautifully presented catalogue, an association with these sheep stations, with shearers who would, like gypsies follow the shearing trail from station to station form months at a time.  Her artist book Willandra shearing captures this memory and association.

The sheep carcases of Gabriella Hegyes evoke another aspect of the history of the station, created in stitched transparencies using a variety of imposed images to recreate them.   You have to look closely and explore each transparency to determine how each is made up. I understand her installation of sheep Carcases at the Narrandera Gallery will be a little different than Griffith.

Treahna Hamm is a Yorta Yorta woman, a nation that borders Wiradjuri and Bakandji country. Her work uses traditional elements along with the contemporary to look at the environment beyond the sheep station history.  "Willandra Possum Skin Cloak " and "Willandra Nation Park" each present a very unique view point of this remote location.

Robert Moss's works appear as images of buildings drawn with an architects perfection, transposed on landscapes that look as though they are archeological diggings exposing history. Some look as though they  are sepia photographs hauled out of old forgotten suitcases found in an attic.

I could go on, but this is really something you need to experience, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, Western Riverina Arts and the NSW National Parks have an exciting and evocation collection of works, that is world class and demonstrates the innovative approach to visual story telling that is alive and well in regional Australia.  There is no cringe here, rather a shout out to the world,  come and see how we tell our stories.

I will add just one small footnote, in 1983, when I was running a small early childhood service from across the countryside delivering early childhood services to remote villages around Griffith, Carrathool and Bland Shire, we also provided an Adult Education component, the forerunner to some of the TAFE programs.  My side kick and much loved colleague was Barbara Emery, an artist and teacher.  We discovered a small arts program called "Exhibitions in a Suitcase" and these were exhibitions which fitted into an average sized suitcase, we showcased these innovative exhibitions in each location  and for Griffith would unpack the suitcase and display it on a desk at Griffith Neighbourhood House. I mention this because one of those exhibitions was of beautiful works all created in paper, much like some of the work seen here.  Evocative imaginings and memories.

Derek Motion, thank you for the work you are doing through Western Riverina Arts, the beautiful catalogue that accompanies this exhibition is a work of art in itself and provides the essential background to this unique project.