Main Gallery 1 - 22 February 2025
Holly Grace – Geography of Place
Like many Australians I come from a nowhere place, a stranger everywhere and a child of displacement I am in a constant pursuit of identity and belonging. My family histories are ones of diasporic beginnings, a mass migration and scattering of people from various homelands. Descending from Europeans escaping wars, persecutions, rebellions to find shelter in a new a host land, Australia. My personal history is a mix of cultures, a hybrid blend with a commonality built from geographical location, a sense of nostalgia and dislocation from a country of origin. I am an example of the cultural complexity of being a modern Australian. The work in this exhibition is the culmination of the past two years and the participation in three artists residencies. the first taking place at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, ACT and Gudgenby ready-cut cottage in the Namadgi National Park. The second at S12 Workshop and Gallery, Bergen, Norway and most recently the Canberra Glassworks, Kingston, ACT. All three residencies were different experiences and focuses, enabling me an unique opportunity to explore themes of self-portraiture, portrait of a place and to further develop my technical skills and understanding of glass as a medium. The exhibition is both a geographical journey and a personal memoir as I seek to understand what motivates and binds us to places within the landscape. How real are these connections, what are its ramifications and how can I tread lightly in an increasingly fragile environment. Holly Grace, December 2024
