In this edition we feature the stunningly beautiful exhibition A Sorrowful Act: The Wreck of the Zeewijk by Drew Pettifer at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery. Laetitia Wilson reviews this sensitive, considered and thought-provoking show, as Pettifer brings voice to two young men expelled to separate islands following their ‘sin of sodomy’ in 1727 on Gun Island, part of the remote Abrolhos Archipelago. Through the exhibition we are privy to journals outlining their ‘sin,’ and their subsequent cruel punishment, experience the vastness of the sea which separated them through a single channel video installation, and wonder at their innocent youth through video portraits of two unclothed men bearing the same surnames as the Dutch sailors.

We headed south to Dwellingup to find Lost Eden Creative, a cultural gem in the South West. Consisting of a gallery, accommodation and artist residency, head down there for a country welcome and curated exhibitions in the thoughtfully renovated space.

We report on a new initiative at Mossenson Galleries to help artists through the financial shadow of the pandemic. Six artists have been selected for SIX: 2020, each receiving $1000 for materials to create new works of their choice for an exhibition without commission on sales.

We visited Here&Now20: Perfectly Queer, also at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery. The exhibition is the first to feature the work of local queer artists in a WA institution in over 20 years.

We also visited Robertson Park Artist Studio, now celebrating 20 years of operation with an exhibition at Stala Contemporary in West Perth.              

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Lyn Di Ciero, Editor