‘Solastalgia’ group exhibition
M16 ArtSpace, Canberra, ACT, January 2023
The term ‘solastalgia’ was introduced to the vernacular by Australian philosopher Glen Albrecht. It describes the negative and stressful impacts environmental change has on our emotional well-being. It is a form of homesickness … without having left home.
The three artists in the exhibition gave homage to the natural world through their passion and love for the Australian environment. They were fascinated by rock formations, moving water, old forests, majestic trees and the vastness of the desert lands.
This has influenced their art-making by using a variety of styles and media. Their interpretation of vegetation, water, and landscapes was individual, innovative and provocative. The Artworks speculated on how places have been irrevocably altered by human intervention and climate change. Yet, without sadness, they also celebrated the nurturing and reclaiming of spaces that are quintessentially Australian … and home to us all.
‘Transcience’ solo exhibition
Redland Museum, Brisbane, QLD, June 2016
Buffy’s Artist Statement
“In my art, I try to capture the transience of life as I pass through landscapes and experiences. I hold an intense passion for the diversity and rawness of the Australian environment and the emotional impact this has on my psyche.
I travelled extensively through Australia over the last ten years. I have spent stress free time on houseboats on the Hawkesbury River. I have crossed three deserts by bicycle - the Tirari, the Sturt Stony and the Simpson - leaving from Port Augusta in South Australia riding through the Flinders Ranges, up the Birdsville Track to Birdsville. From there I rode north to Mt Isa, east to Cloncurry and north again to the Gulf of Carpentaria. At the end of the ride I was two dress sizes smaller but with a head full of imagery! I have camped through the Tanami Desert and the Kimberley, seen the beauty of Kakadu, scuba dived on the Barrier Reef, walked the Overland Track and flown over the southern ocean to Port Davey in Tasmania. I have looked over Torres Strait from the tip of Cape York with all of Australia behind me. I have stared in awe at aboriginal artwork that is 30,000 years old.
In all of these places the beauty of the landscape has left me with an emotional attachment to this country. It has created for me a sense of space and awe. The ever-changing light creates a momentary variation of colour, shape and form that charges all my senses. It is this transience that I long to hold on to through my artwork.”
This exhibition was set up by Buffy, Rick Thomason OAM on 26th July, 2016. Lance Delbridge did the title lettering. In all the exhibition contains 54 items.
Here are four comments in the Visitors’ Book:
Rick: “Congratulations. A beautiful collection of your work & a privilege to hang.”
Nicky: “Absolutely outstanding work, Mum. I am very proud and a little peeved you didn’t pass on the art gene.”
Narelle Renn:” Never seen an exhibition that I love more than this one. Congratulations!”
Trish and Andrew: “What an asset to the Redlands.”
