Views from the West: Kathryn Ryan & Harley Manifold
August 18- September 13
Contact The F Project for private viewings during these dates.
Western Victoria, the traditional lands of the Maar Nation, and the birthplace of colonial Victoria. It’s a complex land, comprised of deep geological and historical layers. To call it home is to acknowledge that you are shaped by these layers and that you are, in some ways, defined by their potential.
For artists growing up in the Western District, it establishes a particular vision, grants them an eye well suited to expansive landscapes. As Kathryn Ryan notes, ‘My way of seeing, viewpoint, what captures my eye and inspiration has been moulded by this landscape, the space we inhabit, the vast skies and attention to the layout of the land. The quality of light, ever changing with the shifting clouds and weather patterns emitting a glow of light from dark moody skies, reiterates that I am in my home landscape’. Kathryn’s eye searches for honesty in its portrayal of the landscape – misty and vast, crisp and cold, lit softly by a sun that hugs the horizon.
Views From the West finds two Western District artists exploring the relationship that they have with their home, and the relationship that their home has with the City. Harley Manifold recounts ‘the first time traveling to the city, the view of the Melbourne skyline, pointed out by Mum and Dad in the front, framed by them and their seats. A distant great towering set of grey teeth – awe inducing, terrifying, captivating. From that first sighting it was only natural that I had to keep going back, yet the experience was always overwhelming and overstimulating’. For someone from the West, there is a tension within the city that is evident right from the first visit. For Harley, that became an important aspect of his work.
The two artists have created a very special show here. The monolithic forms of Kathryn’s farm trees mirror the towering concrete pillars of Harley’s urban landscapes to great effect. Where we often think of cities as being distinctly separate to the country, this exhibition encourages us to look again.
