Lay of the Land

Collected Works: Part Three

April 22 - June 18, 2022

Reception May 13, 2022 at 7-9 PM

The tradition of landscape painting has a powerful story to tell. As the world becomes increasingly aware of environmental challenges like climate change and land rights issues, the cultural conception of land has taken centre stage. In this selection of historical paintings drawn from the gallery’s permanent collection, distinct themes and patterns emerge, saying much about the desires and aspirations of the colonial mindset that produced them. Images of homesteads, pastoral idylls, limitless vistas and industrial scenes indicate the continued ties artists held with their origins across the Atlantic. These aesthetic pursuits present a remarkable reflection on value systems that are both beautiful and burdened by the moral questions that have become increasingly salient today.
 
What constitutes land? How can its representations reinforce silent forms of consent and compliance in the face of distinctly different narratives?  
How do these skillfully rendered images continue to locate historical truths within the contemporary moment and how can a complex reading of their message lay the groundwork for building bridges to a more sustainable future?