West Space Presents a Landmark Exhibition Articulating Our Relationship With the Natural World

West Space is presenting Watching, a landmark exhibition by artists Anna Louise Richardson & Abdul-Rahman Abdullah.

West Space is an organisation that combines an artist-centric ethos with the supportive infrastructure of a contemporary art institution, working locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, across artforms and sites to expand the possibilities of exhibition-making.

For their major solo commission at West Space, artists Anna Louise Richardson & Abdul-Rahman Abdullah articulate our profound relationship with natural and supernatural worlds.

As artists and parents raising a family in rural Western Australia, in their exhibition Anna Louise Richardson and Abdul-Rahmna Abdullah combine the magical thinking of childhood and the pragmatism of living in close proximity to nature. Across sculpture, drawing, and interactive elements designed for families and children, Watching expresses the sensation of being watched or singled out by animals and the emotive resonance of these moments, to describe a close engagement with the natural world to audiences of all ages.

Through detailed bird drawings, large-scale sculptural work, interactive wallpaper and a public program designed for families, Watching renders a sense of supernatural communication palpable, complicating established understandings of the natural world and our place within it.

Drop in activities will be available for children throughout the duration of the exhibition, alongside a public program and interview series published on West Space’s OFFSITE platform that make ideas of nature, magic and mythology accessible to parents and their children.

KEY DETAILS

Exhibition dates: Saturday May 14 to Sunday June 26, 2022

Location: West Space, Collingwood Yards. 102/30 Perry Street. Collingwood, VIC, 3066

Sunday May 15, 11am – 2pm

Jill Paynter-O’Meehan and Holly O’Meehan of Golden Wattle Hookers Woollen loops, chains and links—Families and individuals are invited to attend Woollen loops, chains and links, a crochet workshop with Jill Paynter-O’Meehan and Holly O’Meehan of Golden Wattle Hookers. Perfect for beginners, participants will learn a collection of basic stitches to create their very own crocheted pouch to take home.

More information and registration details.

Sunday May 15, 2:30 – 3pm

Artist talk with Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Anna Louise Richardson, created specifically for families.