November 15, 2022
Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery’s November exhibition offers five views of the world that are at times arresting, at times funny and at other times haunting.
“Geist Land: Spirits, Ghosts and Being” features works by two Brisbane artists – Belinda Sinclair and Walter Stahl – alongside works by well-known local artists Carmel Nott, Judy Brook and Bron Langford-Martoo.
Each artist brings their own unique perspective to the task, and the end result is one of the best exhibitions seen at the gallery this year.
Belinda Sinclair’s enigmatic photogravure images were first seen at the gallery in May 2021 as part of the “All The Bees Are [Not] Dying” exhibition.
This year, Belinda has returned with a number of new works, some of which continue the theme of haunted images in the landscape that she has previously explored, and others which she has created using solar printmaking techniques.
Her friend Walter Stahl, meanwhile, has brought along an enormous stuffed crocodile as the centrepiece of his “Croqland” exhibition.
The crocodile sits at the centre of the rear gallery surrounded by a large collection of works made using old army maps as background material.
Many of Walter’s pieces focus on deserted urban scenes in the mythical country of Croqland that he invites viewers to explore, and several of these have the same magnetic quality as much more famous works by Australian artist Jeffrey Smart.
Carmel Nott is also offering viewers something quite different in the exhibition, exploring several new methods in printmaking that extend and deepen the techniques she has mastered over the past decade.
These include adding splashes of colour to black-and-white prints and introducing colour and 3D effects to works that originated as 2D prints.
Rug maker Judy Brook, whose work is displayed in the side gallery, has fused traditional and contemporary techniques to fashion a number of quirky and unusual items that merit deeper inspection.
And Bron Langford-Martoo – whose works enliven the main gallery – offers a mixture of paintings and delightfully quirky pottery that captivate attention.
At the exhibition’s official opening, Cr Danita Potter told the large crowd her understanding of the German word “Geist” was that it had two meanings.
One was a ghost, and the other was the quality of being spirited.
“Everyone in this exhibition is showing us their own spiritual faith in different ways,” Cr Potter said.
“Whether that’s through nature or natural elements, people, belongings, connections or places, we can see all of the artists showing us their inner geist.”
- “Geist Land: Spirits, Ghosts and Being” will remain on display at the Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery in Haly Street from 10:00am to 4:00pm Mondays to Fridays and 9:00am to 1:00pm on weekends until Saturday, November 19. Admission to view the exhibitions is free.
