ASCENT - From the valley floor to the cosmos
7 - 27 September 2026
How do we connect with the space we inhabit? This exhibition brings together local artists responding directly to the diverse environments around them. Through a sweeping dialogue of paintings, photography, and sculpture, the works on display trace a physical and spiritual journey of perspective—guiding our eyes from the dirt beneath our feet to the infinite edge of the universe.
The exhibition invites you to look down at the ground when walking through the bush, look out at the horizon through the canopy and see sweeping valley views where the land meets the sky, and finally look up at the night sky to contemplate the ancient sky stories written across deep space.
By mapping the physical layers of our landscape, these artists invite us to pause, look closer, and rediscover our own place within the vast continuum of the natural world.
JODIE HERDEN
Connected to our Dreaming story of the Dhinawaan (Emu) in the sky and the strong connection we as women have to our songlines, we are guided by their path across country.
Mixed media on canvas, unframed
1.8 × 1.2 m
KAREN BALSAR
Laser cut weathering steel, mild steel base and support
1515mm H x 1080mm with base dia 420mm
ANNA ORCHARD
Mixed media on an upcycled placemat
32 × 46 cm
Sustainable timber frame
JANNA HAYES
Bitumen and oils on paper
76 × 110 cm unframed
93.5 cm x 127 cm framed
Sold framed
SYBIL HOLST SMALL
Daruka Road 30 years ago where it met Moore Creek
Oil on canvas
92 × 62 cm
Unframed
KAREN BALSAR
Cascading layers of leaves interlaced in a labyrinth of root systems.
Lasercut handcrafted weathering steel.
620 mm H x 800 mm L x 600 mm W
AMY KELLY
#2 in a collection of 9, sold separately
Mixed media - paper, acrylic paint, found objects
Form H 12 cm
CHRIS VICKERY
Triptych
Drypoint monoprint with layered found natural pigment
Framed 92 cm x 53 cm
PEN SHEPHARD
Oil on board
15 × 20 cm
Framed