Benalla Art Gallery and Winton Wetlands are collaborating for a special exhibition opening this month.
The gallery has welcomed experienced artist, arts writer and workshop facilitator Mark Dober for a 10-day residency.
Working en plein air in the Winton Wetlands landscape, Mr Dober has produced a series of large-scale gouache on paper paintings, taking viewers into this environmentally and culturally significant site.
The solo exhibition at Benalla Art Gallery opens on Friday, November 24.
The paintings are intended not simply as representational depictions but as immersive works that allow viewers to understand the experience of being at the wetlands for some time.
To create these new works, Mr Dober placed himself at ground level and applied the paint in a direct manner.
Benalla Art Gallery director Eric Nash said he was enthusiastic about the exhibition and continued partnership with the Winton Wetlands.
“Mark Dober is a very skilled artist; his paintings celebrate the beauty of the wetlands and the beauty inherent in the gouache and watercolour mediums,” Mr Nash said.
“This is a significant project for the gallery, resulting from an artist being in residence at the Winton Wetlands.
“Mark was beautifully welcomed to Country by Nikki James, Winton Wetlands’ Koorie cultural officer, to commence his work on site.
“We greatly appreciate the continued partnership of the Wetlands committee and staff, which builds upon the recent Always and Altered exhibition partnership, which allowed us to explore the site’s layered history.”
Mr Dober said it was his daily practice to make artworks on-site in the landscape.
“Mostly, this involves being enclosed in a rather quiet forest,” he said.
“The Winton Wetlands, with its open space, watery environs, the many dead trees and the abundant and often noisy bird life, was a very different experience, which I relished.
“The skeletal trees and swamp make all the more poignant the life and beauty of nature at this place.”
Winton Wetlands Committee of Management chair Dennis O’Brien said the wetlands team was delighted to support Mr Dober and Benalla Art Gallery in this endeavour.
“We believe art offers huge potential for more people to experience and appreciate what wetlands have to offer at many different levels, including landscape, culture, community and ecology,” Dr O’Brien said.
“Artists like Mark help tell the stories of the wetlands and create evocative images that resonate deeply for many people.”
Mark Dober: Wetlands runs from November 24 to February 18.
Dr O’Brien will officially launch the exhibition at 6pm on Friday, November 24.
Mr Dober will also present an artist talk at the gallery from 10am on Monday, December 4. Numbers are strictly limited. Secure your place via gallery@benalla.vic.gov.au
The exhibition’s launch occurs during Winton Wetland’s Wild Week, a vibrant program of activities and events from November 20 to 25, celebrating a landmark year of achievements.