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Romantic Gippsland revealed

4 June 2008

Plein air explorers by Siri Hayes (pictured). Photograph: Neale Stratford

Exploring the romantic sublime in landscapes under pressure is the focus of leading Australian photographer Siri Hayes' latest work on display at the Switchback Gallery, Gippsland campus.

Siri Hayes: Landscapes documents landscapes of the Merri Creek in Melbourne, Wilsons Promontory, Phillip Island and the Latrobe Valley.

Landscapes features a new body of work developed during a residency at Monash University's Gippsland Centre for Art and Design in April 2008.

Switchback director Rodney Forbes said the photographs were stunning in their size, complexity and strange beauty.

"They will make you look at the Gippsland landscape in a new way. They are a new chapter in a great history of Australian images of the figure in landscape -- a history that includes Barak, McCubbin, Nolan and Boyd," Mr Forbes said.

The exhibition is on display until 19 June at the Switchback Gallery, Building 6S, Monash Gippsland - open 9 am to 5 pm weekdays.

Meanwhile, Bachelor of Fine Art graduate Will MacDonald will feature his latest work at the O Projects Gallery until 10 June.

O Projects co-founder Kent Wilson said Movements was a unique and contemporary multi-media show with a focus on impact of sound on an environment and the elements within it. 

"Utilising sound waves, gravity and lighting, Will transforms the space into a truly immersive experience," Mr Wilson said.

The O Projects Gallery was opened earlier this year by four Monash Fine Arts students. Located in Johnson Street, Fitzroy, the O Projects Gallery is a space where art lovers can view, read about and discuss visual art.