Image:
Liz Walker
Brass feathers [top] and Brass leaves [bottom]
1 – 31 August 2022
Gallery Shop
Benalla Art Gallery presents Take a walk on the wild side, an exhibition of small sculptural works by Liz Walker. Recycled roofing iron, wire, vintage copper, and brass have been used to replicate found and gathered natural objects, including feathers, eucalyptus leaves, small wire nests, grasses, and other vegetation. Walker explains, “each fragment was collected while out walking in Benalla, Mansfield and Wodonga, taken back to the studio, studied at length, and then reconstructed out of collected metals using my late father’s much used hand tools.”
“The simple act of walking is something most of us enjoy but wandering around and stopping to observe, to pick up, hold and feel is something else again. It reminds us of the breath taking beauty of nature and our own small place in a world that is far more creative, intelligent and resourceful than we could ever hope to be.”
Liz Walker is a member of Cook Street Collective, and of the Peninsula Studio Trail. For many years, Walker has been spending time in the family holiday home in Jamieson, 30 minutes from Mansfield, and during these stays she explores the towns throughout east and north east Victoria. She has exhibited widely in group and solo exhibitions, undertaken public artworks, received awards, grants and residencies, and her work is held in public and private collections in Australia and overseas.
Of her practice, Walker explains, “collecting, repurposing and extending the material possibilities of natural ephemera and recycled domestic objects play a key role in my practice, which investigates contemporary social and environmental concerns. I use an extensive range of resources to construct sculpture, assemblage, installations and ephemeral site specific responses to people, time and place, and am fascinated by the visual language created by the elements and time; willingly exploiting this to magnify the underlying issues.”
“Small found fragments of daily life, whether natural or manmade, are increasingly an inspiration, as they are so often walked over without being noticed, but are quite beautiful in their own right.”
All works in the Gallery Shop are available for purchase from Benalla Art Gallery,
or by contacting the Gallery on: T 03 5760 2619 or gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au
Artist Talk
Join us for a relaxed artist talk and afternoon tea with Liz to coincide with her exhibition.
When: Wednesday 24 August, 3pm
Where: Ledger Gallery
Cost: FREE
Bookings: Numbers are limited. Secure your place by contacting the Gallery on T 03 5760 2619 or E gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au