LUMAS Gallery and Sequana are thrilled to announce the September recipient of the LUMAS Gallery and Sequana Arts Grant Program, Gabrielle Hall-Lomax.
The winning piece, ‘Transformed Surfaces’ is a photograph which serves as an investigation into how we perceive and relate to our natural environment in the current geological epoch known as the Anthropocene, defined by the significant reshaping of the earth’s geology and eco-systems due to human activity.
“Photography has a long tradition of conveying the human experience in relation to the environment. Tropes such as the romantic notion of untouched wilderness, or aestheticised depictions of environmental destruction, are employed as environmental advocacy tools. I am interested in shifting attention from the indexical nature of photography, to the potential for the camera to create a whole new conception of reality,” said Hall-Lomax.
“Through the melding of natural and artificial elements in my work, I explore transformations that are occurring in our natural world due to human presence.”
With a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (with Distinction) (Photography) from RMIT University, Hall-Lomax has exhibited group and solo works across Melbourne and in 2018 was the photographer in residence at Arteles Creative Center in Finland.
The judging panel, which consists of Anouska Phizacklea, Director of Monash Gallery of Art (MGA); Eugenia Wilson, Managing Director, LUMAS Gallery Australia; and Mike Walsh and Frank Fisseler, Managing Partners, Sequana, were all enamoured with Hall-Lomax’s winning photograph and what is represents.
“Transformed Surfaces is a stunning work that invites the viewer to explore the intricate pink bubbles. There is something quite elegant and seemingly effortless as it entices the viewer to focus on the natural environment, on something that is beautiful and yet a trace of the destruction that is being waged on the natural environment,” said Anouska Phizacklea, Director, Monash Gallery of Art.
This grant will assist Hall-Lomax in completing a photographic project that she is developing for exhibition. The series titled ‘Flux’, explores how contemporary society fits within the natural world and what constitutes a sustainable or ‘natural’ world for the future. The project will highlight Australian ecologies that have been transformed, raising awareness of our environmental heritage that will be lost to future generations if the current sense of urgency we feel about preserving the environment is not acted upon.
“Transformed Surfaces invokes a strong sense of intrigue and curiosity. By blending organic, natural elements with artificial compounds, we question what exactly we are looking at. Gabrielle Hall-Lomax explores humans and their impact on the environment in her work through artistic visualisation of leaving our ‘mark’. The exploration of texture, colour, and movement invite an opportunity for deeper thought and analysis,” said Eugenia Wilson, Managing Director, LUMAS Gallery Australia.
Sequana Managing Partners, Mike Walsh and Frank Fisseler are passionate about the arts and helping artists during these difficult times and the LUMAS Gallery and Sequana Arts Grant Program is a joint initiative by project management consultancy Sequana and LUMAS, and is designed to support and celebrate creatives of all calibres, providing Australian artists with both funding and a platform to showcase their work.
Applications for the next monthly grant are open until Monday 31 September and will be awarded each month until December 2020, providing a one-off grant of $4,000 as well as host each winner’s work in an exhibition in January 2021 to showcase the six winning artworks.
