Richard Wastell
Richard Wastell, Bone and Flower
Richard Wastell, Green cusion
The Skullbone Experiment
Exhibition of eminent artists opening at UNSW Galleries in Sydney
18 July – 30 August, 2014
The Skullbone Experiment is an exhibition of landscapes, sculpture, multimedia and “flights of fancy” inspired by a residency at Skullbone Plains on the wild and remote Tasmanian Central Plateau, curated by acclaimed Tasmanian artist Philip Wolfhagen and curator Catherine Wolfhagen.
In February 2013, eleven high profile Australian artists were invited by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC) to explore Skullbone Plains. Over four days, they immersed themselves in the landscape and were given scientific interpretation by the TLC staff and scientists to deepen their experience of the nature and place.
Skullbone Plains is a private reserve owned and managed for biodiversity by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. In 2011 the organisation garnered philanthropic support of $23 million to purchase over 28,000 hectares in Tasmania, including Skullbone Plains. This was the largest private conservation deal in Australian history.
Participating artists are Tim Burns (TAS), Joel Crosswell (TAS), Julie Gough (TAS), Philip Hunter (VIC), Janet Laurence (NSW), Vera MÖller (VIC), Imants Tillers (NSW), Megan Walch (TAS), Richard Wastell (TAS), Philip Wolfhagen (TAS) and John Wolseley (VIC).
Mr Wolfhagen, who has created work for the exhibition, said, “It is important to explore the cultural significance of a place that is already known to be scientifically important. Each artist has ‘deposited’ another layer of meaning to this landscape thereby enriching future interpretations of the site.”
Several of the works inspired by the retreat have been included in other prestigious exhibitions. Imants Tillers’ self-portrait was short-listed in the 2013 Archibald Prize. A Clarence Galaxia in the Ancient Sphagnum Bogs – Skullbone Plains, Tasmania, 2013 by John Wolseley will feature in the Dobell Drawing Biennale at the Art Gallery of New South Wales later in 2014, while Natural History of Sphagnum bog- Lake Ina, Tasmania, 2013 will appear in Wolseley’s survey show at National Gallery of Victoria in 2015. Tim Burns’ The Skullbone Plains, Lake Ina to Kenneth Lagoon, 2013 has now been added to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery’s collection.
Director of UNSW Galleries, Felicity Fenner, says: “Artists are able to convey the land’s beauty and uniqueness, enabling audiences to glean a sense of place from a range of viewpoints”.
“It has been an absolute honour to have artists of such vision and calibre interpret our Skullbone Plains permanent reserve. Their engagement with this landscape has been a great way to raise awareness of the long-term protection of biodiversity in Tasmania”, says Jane Hutchinson, Chief Executive Officer of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.
The Skullbone Experiment will exhibit at UNSW Galleries in Sydney from 18 July – 30 August 2014.
The project was made possible through the support of the Purves Environmental Fund and the Purryburry Trust.
Tasmanian Land Conservancy
The TLC is a not for profit, non-government, registered environmental organisation which raises funds from the public to protect irreplaceable sites and rare ecosystems by buying and managing private land in Tasmania. www.tasland.org.au
Skullbone Plains
Skullbone Plains covers 1,600 hectares and provides habitat for critically endangered species such as the Clarence galaxias fish and an endangered plant community named Sphagnum moss. Included in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in 2013, the endangered Tasmanian devil, spotted-tailed quoll and Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle also call it home.
Stephenie Cahalan, Tasmanian Land Conservancy
