Art News

Local Artists on Fire

A new exhibition on show at the Lismore Regional Art Gallery, ArtAbout on Fire, takes a reflective look a real life situation that members of the ArtAbout group were involved in late last year.

In October 2002, during ArtAbout's annual art camp at Tabulam, the Ewingar bushfires broke out and the property on which the artists were staying was burnt during the night.

Some of the artists were evacuated while others stayed to fight the flames, but all were deeply affected by the fire, with one member describing it as a "very frightening experience".

The ArtAbout group was established in 1998 by a small group of north coast artists who decided to hold annual artists camps, and this exhibition represents their most recent creative accomplishments.

While the fires at Ewingar play a large role in the ArtAbout on Fire exhibition, the artworks on display also take a more general look at fire as a source of inspiration.

"Mankind has lived with the phenomenon of fire since time began," ArtAbout member, Pat Jenkins, said. "Sometimes we have been its master, other times its slave. How we perceive the phenomenon is a very personal matter as it has strong abstract connotations - such as 'fiery speech, 'fiery passion' and 'fire in the belly' - as well as its importance for our domestic survival and its destructive capability."

ArtAbout on Fire is on show until January 31, 2004. The gallery will be closed from December 25 to January 4.