A major new solo exhibition by artist Anna Louise Richardson whose practice is centred around rural life, embedded in the experience and drama of everyday reality, The Good will be presented at the Granville Centre Art Gallery from 29 November, before touring to selected venues across Australia.
Working primarily in charcoal and graphite large-scale drawings, Richardson’s work explores ideas of intergenerational exchange, parenthood and identity based on her experiences of living and working on a multi-generation beef cattle farm in rural Australia.
The Good emerges from Richardson’s broader investigations into the complex relationships between humans and the natural world, tinged by grief and the competing demands of nurturing new life. In a world increasingly defined by division and hardship, Richardson’s work points to the necessary act of radical optimism needed to seek goodness in all things.
“My work is autobiographical, chronicling my life through the objects around me, objects that are steeped in meaning and memory, yet are present in many peoples realities,” said Anna Louise Richardson.
“The scale of my drawings bring their stories to life. I hope that The Good will bring something familiar to regional audiences nationwide and spark a connection between my life and theirs. Together we can see the good in all things,” said Richardson.
“The Good is the culmination of Western Australian artist Anna Louise Richardson’s explorations into her layered relationships with the natural world, coloured by love, loss and the complexities of nurturing new life as a young mother, while living on her family’s multi-generational farm on Whadjuk Nyoongar Boodja (Country),” said Curators Rachel Arndt and Lee-Anne Hall.
“Richardson’s work has incredible resonances to communities across the country, many who have experienced prolonged periods of hardship. The Good is both catalyst and opportunity for audiences across the country to explore what the ‘good’ means within the lives of individuals, families and communities,” said Arndt and Hall.
Anna Louise Richardson is an Australian artist living and working on Whadjuk Nyoongar Boodja in the Peel Region.Richardson’s practice centres around drawing, rendering realistic scenes that speak strongly to her experience of rural life as a member of a multigenerational farming family.
Her works explore parenthood, familial relationship, intergenerational exchange, settler identity, relationship to place as well as regionally specific mythologies.
Anna Louise Richardson: The Good
Granville Centre Art Gallery, 1 Memorial Drive, Granville
Exhibition: 29 November 2023 – 18 February 2024
Free entry
Following its presentation at the Granville Centre Art Gallery, The Good will tour to selected venues across New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. For more information, visit: www.mgnsw.org.au for details.
Image: Works from The Good at Anna Louise Richardson’s Studio – photo by Bo Wong