Shona Wilson at Arthouse Gallery
Shona Wilson’s ‘Offering’ at Sydney’s Arthouse gallery brings attention to the little things, and in doing so shifts our focus to the bigger picture and the dire need to re-engage and protect our precious environment.
Artmaking typically sees the artist utilizing man-made materials to create something that comments on the natural world and its’ inhabitants. Artist Shona Wilson consciously inverts this process by using objects sourced in her environment as a commentary on our growing disconnection from nature. Wilson brings together objects that would often be overlooked, or remain completely unseen, and through intricate construction creates beautiful sculptures that both respond and integrate into the natural environment.
Based on the mid north coast of NSW, Wilson has gathered materials from her surroundings for more than two decades and it is this collection that she draws from to create her impossibly elaborate assemblages.
Conscious of promoting a sustainable art practice Wilson does not take anything ‘new’ for her artworks preferring to rely on a treasure trove of twigs, driftwood, insect wings, feathers, seedpods, crustacean shells and, for one work in this exhibition, the wonderfully sculptural quills of an echidna. These (often minuscule) components are ordered and arranged to form mandala-like forms that expertly speak of the cycle of life. As Wilson explains “the smaller the object the more precious it seems… fragility and care are implied and this sets up a very direct emotional response for the viewer.”
Shona Wilson’s ‘Offering’ at Sydney’s Arthouse gallery is a must-see.
Shona Wilson “Offering”
Arthouse Gallery
66 McLachlan Ave,
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Tues – Fri 9:30am-6pm
Sat 10am-5pm
Sun – Mon Closed
14 September – 1 October 2016
Credits: Images courtesy of the artist Shona Wilson via Arthouse Gallery
