Earth Matters: Rocks in Contemporary Art

Grounded in the experience of being in the landscape, Earth Matters: Rocks in Contemporary Art presents sculpture, ceramics, painting and video that feature rock material from specific sites in Australia.

From Minjerribah’s oyster-encrusted rocks to the Pilbara region’s iron-rich red monoliths, the exhibition looks at how contemporary artists use materials to critically evaluate our relationship to the land.

Set against the backdrop of Australia’s extractive economy, Earth Matters reflects on the discourse surrounding land-use, mining, and ongoing colonisation of Indigenous Country. Through these works, the exhibition asks: what power dynamics shape our relationship to the land, and what is our relationship to its material?

Earth Matters: Rocks in Contemporary Art is curated by Molly Werner, University of Queensland PhD Candidate, supervised by Dr Amelia Barikin and Dr Paolo Magagnoli. This exhibition is supported by the University of Queensland. 

Artwork loans with thanks to the artists, Milani Gallery, the University of Western Australia and Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, the Wesfarmers Collection of Australian Art, and the Janet Holmes à Court Collection.

_{Image: Nicholas Mangan, Matter over Mined, 2012, C-type print, 69×103 cm. Courtesy of the artist, Sutton Gallery Australia, and LABOR Mexico.}