FIVE ARTISTS | SEVEN DAYS
Something pretty special has been happening at Defiance Gallery. In conjunction with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Lea and Bill Ferris, in 2014 Defiance Gallery organised five artists to trek into the wilderness of Pungalina in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Each diverse in their practices and styles, Euan Macleod, Angus Nivison, Charmaine Pike and Dave Teer, alongside photographer Jason Capobianco and writer John McDonald, spent a week exploring and responding to 307,224 hectares of protected wilderness.
The place of inspiration, the AWC Pungalina Seven Emu Sanctuary traverses the Calvert River and 55km of the coastal plains of the Gulf of Carpentaria. It protects nearly 50 mammal species, over 200 bird species and over 100 reptiles.
Working alongside scientists from the AWC Research Centre, this fusion of art and science is balanced by a shared respect and love of the wilderness – and a desire to preserve it.
AWC is a registered not for profit organisation whose mission is the effective conservation of all Australian animals and their habitats. AWC manages 23 sanctuaries covering over three million hectares across Australia, with 80% of their staff working on the ground to implement conservation programs such as fire management and carry out strategic scientific research to help turn back the tide of extinction.
The exhibition follows from the extraordinary success of the AWC Mornington Sanctuary Kimberley exhibition in 2013, which raised over $200,000 for the important work of the AWC. This year each artist and their representative galleries will be be donating the first $40,000 in sales to the AWC, as opposed to the proceeds from just one work. This enables many people to support the AWC by buying a work from the exhibition.
Jason Capobianco’s film FIVE ARTISTS | SEVEN DAYS covers the extraordinary trip. Seamlessly interweaving footage of the travel through the awe inspiring landscape with studio interviews by John McDonald, art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, the film’s preview below promises to be an insightful look into the artists’ practices and the Australian outback that has a legacy of encompassing prominence.
Five Artists Seven Days – The Pungalina Exhibition from jason capobianco
EXHIBITION
FIVE ARTISTS | SEVEN DAYS
Presented by Defiance Gallery at Yellow House
59 Macleay St, Potts Point
Until 8 November
Courtesy the artists, Defiance Gallery and Jason Capobianco
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