Connecting art with nature

Artist Jessica Phillips with her artwork 'Viewer'. (Damjan Janevski) 325578_01

Altona’s Truganina Explosives Reserve has been a lively hub of artistic expression and environmental discussion over recent weeks.

Running from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 26, the Dear Agnes exhibition featured site-responsive works by 12 artists and collectives for nine days over the three-week exhibition.

The exhibition paid tribute to the land-based artwork created in Altona in 1998 by New York-based environmental artists Agnes Denes.

Her commissioned work, titled ‘A Forest for Australia’, was created and installed as a series of tree plantings within the environs of the Altona Treatment Plant in Queen Street in Altona Meadows.

A Forest for Australia included a ‘forest’ of 6000 endangered tree species planted into five spirals in Altona Meadows, so that trees at varying heights at maturity would create a step pyramid, would create seed supply and help alleviate serious land erosion and desertification.

Alongside the exhibition, the exhibition also hosted artists’ talks, creative workshops, live music and tours of the ‘A Forest for Australia’ artwork site by Greater Western Water.

Star Weekly photographer Damjan Janevski attended the exhibition to capture some of the artists’ work.