Love them or hate them, we couldn’t do without the insects that populate our world, and Manning Regional Art Gallery will provide a fascinating look at A Bug's Life, curated by Jane Hosking and opening on Friday, November 30.
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"Our imaginations will be opened to the fascinating world of insects, as seen through the eyes of photographers and artists, using an array of mediums such as high resolution photos, scientific illustrations and sculpture," says assistant gallery director Jane Hosking.
"We're expecting this exhibition will captivate young and old alike, and be a drawcard over the school holiday period, as the world of mini-beasts holds great fascination for many children," Jane said.
Manning Valley photographer, Kevin Mitchell has spent the past two years painstakingly photographing insects using an interesting technique called focus stacking.
The camera is moved in minute steps to take between 40 to 200 photographs of each insect, the individual images are then combined to reveal in complete sharpness and fine detail, each insect.
Cate Barham’s series of works is based on aquatic macro-invertebrates (water bugs) and were created for a children's book, ‘The Naiads’. These illustrations aim to cultivate the inherent curiosity young children hold regarding the natural world. It is hoped that they may inspire children and their communities to engage with their own local waterways as custodians into the future.
Contemporary textile artist, Jan Clark says the inspiration for her “Illumination Series” is the art of medieval illuminated manuscripts. The pages of the psalters (prayer books or hymnals) were heavily embellished with twining branches of gold inhabited by insects, birds and beasties. The original manuscripts are tiny, personal books meant to be held in the hand so these textiles magnify that beautiful world.
Dan Cox takes his artistic inspiration from the animal kingdom, the Australian landscape and architectural forms. He explores and documents the environment through drawing, with the purpose of blending science, art and imagination.
The illustrations of Ebony Hyde take a closer look at the curious life of selected Australian Lepidopteran (Butterfly and Moth) specimens. Often depicting the finest of details, her works explore each insect’s unique exterior and intricate life-cycle patterns.
Wayne Moss creates intricate, stylised sculptures made from scrap metal, discarded appliance parts and other industrial and machine detritus. He is inspired by the shapes in nature and humanity’s ability to create and innovate.
A Bug's Life officially opens at 2pm on Saturday, December 1, at a joint launch with photographic exhibition The Art of Ageing, and everyone's welcome to attend. Both exhibitions close on Sunday, January 13, 2019.
To see more information on the many exciting events and exhibitions at the Gallery visit our website, manningregionalartgallery.com.au and follow us on Facebook.