Old land, waiting land
Mark Scown
Old land, waiting land is series of landscapes painted by local artist Mark Scown. While on a family trip to the Snowy Mountains, Scown returned to painting after many years pursuing other creative practises.
Painted from photographs on his return to Byron Bay, this exhibition lays bare the landscape of the Monaro Plateau. This region of ancient highland has been degraded by generations of colonial farming practices. Iconic species like the Manna (Ribbon) Gum that used to thrive here are in severe decline. Old land, waiting land explores the long-term changes that introduced practises can have on landscape when they displace indigenous knowledge and land management.
Painted with a starkness that depicts this ‘severely degraded…yet majestic” landscape the flat application of paint provides an austerity that speaks to the seriousness of the artist’s message.
October 21 to November 4, 2022