SALA (South Australian Living Arts Festival)
07 - 23 Aug 2009 in Mannum
The SALA Festival is a state-wide festival of Visual Art with free admission to all venues.
The SALA Festival was established in 1998 as an inititatve of the Australian Commercial Galleries Association SA Branch to promote and celebrate the many talented Visual artists in South Australia.
The Arnold Gallery will be showcasing river-related photographs from Murray River photographer Shane Strudwick.
Shane’s work will be based on the Murray River water as the canvas. Reflecting back it’s surrounding environment. This is a highly unique look at the Murray River and the different colours, contrasts, textures and styles it reflects.
YARRUM
Yarrum is the Murray, mirrored. In this exhibition, Australia’s iconic Murray River reflects itself and its surrounding environment. The river shows us a new inner beauty that gifts you a moment to loose yourself…a moment just to be.
Looking past the obvious natural beauty of the Murray, these images aim to highlight a deeper view of this precious river, another dimension. This journey will divulge a world of colour, beauty, depth, texture, diversity, contrast and mystery.
Over a period of 4 years, I’ve been photographing the Murray River and mallee nationally. Capturing the beauty and the pain of our nation’s lifeblood. It has been both heartbreaking in one instance and spiritually rewarding in another.
From the source in the mountains near Mt Kosciusko to the Murray mouth in South Australia, I have experienced the river’s soul and ever changing appearance. This has allowed me to see our threaded borderless connection across Australia and the constantly changing river with stunning diversity and contrast.
The Murray sometimes is a perfect mirror…almost glass. Its gradual journey deepens our cultural and natural connection to the water and land. Rarely found anywhere in the world, the deep, slow waters give us a precious and rare gift.
Reflecting colours like the rainbow of an artists palette. Deep blues, earthy ochres and the golden yellows. Pure white like sprinkled diamonds and rich, powerful blacks like a night sky with no moon or stars. At the right time it reflects the wide and vast blue skies that are suspended above while it carves through our harsh semi-arid Australian landscape.
My collection of reflection images show scale, form and texture but most importantly a message of rare beauty and intrigue. These images study the water as the subject and its relationship with our environment, both natural and man-made.
I really hope you stop, pause, reflect and consider as the Murray desperately cries out for our help. We can all look past the politics and the borders to protect its future and ours. As you’ll see, its beauty is more than water deep.
Shane Strudwick
Environmental Photographer
Event Venue:Arnold Gallery
6 Randell Street 5238
Event Times: Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Contact: Jenny Callander
Address: 6 Randell Street MANNUM
Telephone: 08 8569 2733
Fax: 08 8569 2383
Email: museum@psmarion.com