What a great idea!
First comes an audio guided tour that takes you through the bushland surrounding Curlew Artists’ Camp in Little Sirius Cove, Mosman. All you have to do is downloading the Izi Travel app, select Curlew Camp, choose a direction (North-South or opposite) and switch on the GPS. Then you simply go for a walk among the trees, along the water, and at several locations you get to hear stories about the artists’ camp that used to be here more than a century earlier, or even about Aboriginal presence a much longer time ago!
And secondly there is of course the exhibition at the Mosman Art Gallery, with plenty of artworks from these artists, among the precursors of the plein air, Impressionist movement in Australia, living a bohemian life in their camp, spending time creating, inspired by their beautiful surroundings.
On top of that the exhibition shows artworks made by contemporary artists, that reflects on these histories and create a modern response to the Curlew Artists’ Camp at the end of 19th century. From an artistic point of view, the difference between these two periods is very interesting. The recent artworks are undoubtedly modern in style and approach, they are energetic, sometimes rough in their process and result, insisting on the artwork’s materiality, with paint drips, scratching, thick paint application, layers upon layers of complexity. On the other hand, the first Curlew Camp artworks are very typically characterised by their finesse, precision, detailed compositions and smooth finish. It’s amazing to see them all together, reflecting on the same subject and place, more than a century apart, playing with each other, adding contemporary dimensions, ecological and artistic, while paying homage at the same time!
Really a great idea, a very complete work of art!
