Image: Grafton Regional Gallery
Relative Terrains
Karma Barnes and Robèrt Franken
Grafton Regional Gallery, Bundjalung Country, Grafton, NSW, Australia
16th Sept - 12th November 2023
RELATIVE TERRAINS
Exhibition Statement
Human and soil are derived from the same Latin root as the word for earth. The soil functions as an interface between the body and its environment. Literally and metaphorically, soil is the source of all existence. (1) We take birth on soil, live on soil, walk on soil, die on soil and finally vanish in soil. (2) All life originates from and returns to the earth. (3) Humans are themselves displays of complex sedimentary process, in the human there is material, fragment, abundance, clay, dirt, nonsense, chaos. (3)
Relative Terrains traverses the geological environments and volcanic landscapes of Bundjalung Country- the Northern Rivers, exploring how the forces of elements, time, and life experiences shape and change us. Through a palimpsest of the Earth's endless cycles of life and death, creation and destruction, the work examines how our internal and external experiences transform us. Earth pigments, produced by natural forces over eons, are the material, interface and mediator through which different elements meet, carrying the records of the land's creation and transformation and are metaphorical of our own stories as the co-creators of our life’s evolutionary process.
The collaboratives Karma Barnes and Robèrt Franken met some 25 years ago in Wellington, New Zealand, originally as student and teacher with their connection evolving from mentoring to friendship to collaboration. Relative Terrain's inception was in 2020. Set for Lismore Regional Gallery the exhibition has been hosted by Grafton Regional Gallery after the devastating damage of the gallery caused during the 2022 floods. The work of Relative Terrains has developed through this time of climatic pressures (drought, fires, floods and a pandemic) to give wind to the investigation of how the forces of elements, time and life experiences shape, adapt and change us.
Relative Terrains explores the significance of collaboration and the transformative influence of connections in our existence. It serves as a stimulus for introspection and prompts us to contemplate the ways in which these external dynamics have reconfigure and altered our internal landscapes and terrains.
(1) Phillipe Descola , Soil and Culture, editors E.R. Landa and C. Feller (Springer, 2010), p. xiii. (2) Satish Kumar, Soil , Soil, Society, a new trinity for our time, Leaping Hare Press, 2013. (3) Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Prelude to a Philosophy of the future, Cambridge University Press, 2012
Collaboratives Karma Barnes and Robèrt Franken. Photo credit Jay Penfold
Photo credit Grafton Regional Gallery
Photo credit Grafton Regional Gallery
The Mapping Internal & External Terrains - Community Cartography
Lismore Regional Gallery
Photo Credit Lismore Regional Gallery Cherise Winter
Community Pigment Callout
The Lismore Regional Gallery and artist Karma Barnes invite the community to participate in the Relative Terrains project through collecting and contributing local pigments, clays and soils. The exhibition Relative Terrains by local artist Karma Barnes and New Zealand artist Robért Franken, will be on display at Grafton Regional Gallery from 16 September - 12 November, and the pigments collected by the community will be used to make the works.
If you would like to be involved, please follow the pigment gathering and contribution process below.
1. Materials Collection: Participants are requested to gather 250-gram samples of local pigments, soils, ochres, rock pigments and flood mud. Please be mindful and respectful of locations when gathering materials, for further guidelines visit https://wildpigmentproject.org/reciprocal-foraging
2. Labelling: Each sample should be labeled with the following information:
• Location gathered: Specify the specific location or region from which the pigment was collected.
• Name of collector: Provide your name as the collector of the pigment.
• Contact details: Include your contact details (email address or phone
number) for further communication, if necessary.
• Personal connection, knowledge, or story: Share briefly any personal connection, knowledge, or story related to the place from which the pigment was gathered. This will contribute to the narrative and significance of the resulting artwork.
3. Packaging Requirements: To ensure the integrity of the materials, please follow these
guidelines:
• Well-sealed container jar or bag: Place the materials in a container jar or bag that is tightly sealed to prevent any spillage or contamination during transit.
• Dry and clean: Ensure that the materials are dry and free from debris, such as leaves, twigs, or other foreign matter.
4. Submission Process:
• Postal submission: Materials can be sent via mail to P.O. Box address: PO Box 34, New Brighton, NSW 2483. Please package the materials securely to avoid any damage during transportation.
Community Cartography Workshops
LISMORE REGIONAL GALLERY
Thursday 17 August, 11 am - 1 pm
Lismore Quad BOOKED OUT
GRAFTON REGIONAL GALLERY
Saturday 7 October, 11 am -1 pm
Grafton Regional Gallery BOOKED OUT (contact the gallery for waiting list)
Join artist Karma Barnes in the Mapping Internal & External Terrains: Community Cartography workshop to explore the intersection of art, mapping, and personal experiences through earth pigments.
The workshop traverses the geological terrain and volcanic landscapes of the Northern Rivers and explores how we, the inhabitants of the land, form and change with the forces of the elements, time, pressures, and climatic factors. Participants are invited to each gather and bring with them 250-gram samples of local pigments, ochres, soils, charcoals or flood mud from their local environment. Participants will learn about processing materials into usable pigments and working with binders and mulling processes to transform these pigments into natural paints. Participants will create 3 works on paper to take home and contribute to a series of collaborative pigment paintings to contribute to the larger Refective Cartographies artwork, that will be exhibited at Lismore Regional Gallery (and then featured in the artist's upcoming show, Relative Terrains, at Grafton Regional Gallery opening on September 16th.
This workshop is for people aged 14 +.
Tickets and more information at https://lismoregallery.org/community-cartography-workshop
This workshop is part of our Science Week program Dark Science: New Moon.
Relative Terrains Research Body 2020 - 2023
Relative Terrains is a practice-based research body that explores the interconnections between environmental changes and human experiences. The project is a collaborative effort by Karma Barnes and Robért Franken. The project has been developed over three art residencies at The School of Creativity and Art in Wellington, New Zealand in 2021 and 2022 (where Robért is a permanent artist in residence) and then continued during their third residency in late 2022 at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery in the Northern Rivers. During their residencies, Barnes and Franken immersed themselves in the natural environment exploring the geological terrains and their internal responses. Their research involved extensive fieldwork, including creative mapping, and pigment collection from across the Northern Rivers, engaging with local communities and Indigenous knowledge holders.
The resulting artworks in Relative Terrains are a reflection of their research and experiences. The large-scale installations and suspended paintings are produced in a range of mediums, including locally sourced pigments, which are used to create a connection between the artwork and the land.
The exhibition aims to create an immersive experience for the viewers, inviting them to explore the interconnections between environmental changes and human experiences. The artwork highlights the dramatic shifts in our environmental cycles and how this informs our internal and external experiences.
The exhibition was initially scheduled for January 2023 at the Lismore Regional Gallery, but the exhibition was displaced due to the devastating floods earlier this year. The Grafton Regional Gallery has now snapped up the opportunity to house the exhibition, along with a number of other displaced exhibitions.
Relative Terrains is an inspiring example of practice-based research, which highlights the importance of collaboration, engagement with local communities, and the use of locally sourced materials in the creation of artwork. The exhibition offers a unique and immersive experience that invites viewers to explore the interconnections between the environment and human experiences.
