Eight-metre forest drawings open at Berninneit next month
Hoa Nguyen spent months on three ink drawings of Bass Coast forests. Becoming the Forest opens at the Cowes gallery on September 12
THREE new large-scale drawings of Bass Coast forests spanning up to eight metres long will go on show at Berninneit Art Gallery in Cowes next month.
Becoming the Forest is a solo exhibition by Australian interdisciplinary artist, activist and ecofeminist Hoa Nguyen and opens with a celebration on Saturday September 12 from 3pm to 5pm.
The works took several months to complete and were created with Indian ink on long rolls of archival paper, an approach that combines a contemporary process with the ancient tradition of scroll painting.
Ms Nguyen has been drawing forests for a decade and said the practice had taught her the philosophy of the Middle Way, a path of balance between eternal and temporary existence.
“The forest is a place where Mother Nature manifests her boundless embrace, teeming with life,” she said.
“It has been a sanctuary of healing for me amidst the ups and downs of human existence.
“My gratitude toward the forest reflects a pure appreciation for life on Earth and a happiness found in the here and now.”
The exhibition has local roots.
During a visiting artist residency at Berninneit Art Studio in February, Ms Nguyen connected with members of the Phillip Island Conservation Society through a shared interest in the Western Port Woodlands and environmental advocacy.
With their guidance she explored and created portraits of Rhyll Inlet and the Western Port Woodlands.
The society has also partnered with the gallery on a Living Earth Gathering to be held on Saturday October 3 from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
It will begin with a Welcome to Country and a procession into the gallery featuring local artist Camille Monet and the Cowes Primary School choir, followed by a deep listening circle surrounded by the forest drawings.
Ms Nguyen has Vietnamese heritage and studied at Hanoi Fine Arts University and the Repin Institute of Arts in St Petersburg before emigrating to Australia, where she completed a Master of Contemporary Art at the Victorian College of the Arts at the University of Melbourne.
She was a founder and leader of the Hanoi art collective HanoiLink from 2006 to 2012.
Becoming the Forest runs at Berninneit Art Gallery until Sunday October 25.
