Canberra | Polar Convergence exhibition and talks

‘Polar Convergence’ is a group exhibition at the Nishi Gallery in Canberra by Rohan Hutchinson and Philip Samartzis. It runs June 7 - July 27, 2019. The two Australian artists have worked in Arctic and Antarctic environments. An exhibition of sound and image works in which the Arctic and Antarctic intersect to form a liminal world where time and space coalesce.

Dr Philip Samartzis focuses on the sounds and spaces of the Antarctic continent where volatile weather and extreme climate collide with fragile ecologies and remote settlements. Rohan Hutchinson captures the tonality of the Arctic winter, transforming large-scale pristine landscape images into violent, mutable abstractions.

Together, these two bodies of polar research introduce us to the places that operate at the margins of the planet. Samartzis’ soundscapes present a spectral encounter of Antarctica by channelling natural, anthropogenic and geophysical forces, while Hutchinson’s blackened landscapes provide a heightened sense of urgency necessary for the preservation of places unseen and unheard.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Saturday 8 June 2019, 10:30 am – 11:30 am

A panel discussion that examines site-specific art practices focusing on the polar regions. Dr Amanda Stuart from the Australian National University and science communicator and author Tanya Patrick will join artists Rohan Hutchinson and Dr Philip Samartzis to discuss the social, ethical and political tensions underscoring contested wilderness regions.

Image: [1/2] ‘Untitled, Part A’ by Rohan Hutchinson