Liliana Fiedler
Northern Beaches Secondary College Freshwater Senior Campus
CIRCUMNAVIGATING MEMORIES
Painting
Acrylic on board
My body of work investigates my move from Germany to Australia when I was three and the excitement of returning to Germany regularly; a profound journey of embracing heritage while forging a new life in a different country. Each piece represents the intertwining of past and present, conveying the essence of cultural identity and the resilient spirit that blossoms in new environments. My intention in Circumnavigating Memories was to examine faded memories of Germany, the ideal expectations many have when coming to Australia, and the reality of its harsh environment.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Alexander Mckenzie, Philip Wolfhagen, Hans Heysen.
Marker's Commentary
Circumnavigating Memories explores the evocative nature of memories and landscape, and the connections we draw with a sense of place. Consisting of a series of nine paintings investigating the Australian landscape across the seasons, they are accompanied by timber panel mounted with a series of small landscapes on vintage office filing cards, each labelled with an embossed date, suggestive of the artist's trips back to Germany from Australia. These small-scale landscapes are reminiscent of a plein air style, with an informal and looser use of brushwork and colour.
The highly accomplished landscapes are evocative of Australian plein air Impressionist artists, and they examine how light interacts with the uniquely Australian bush landscape. The small studies explore the unique qualities of Australian light across the seasons and the interplay of changing light conditions, with the snow-covered landscape panels suggestive of European low winter light, whilst other panels explore the soft glow of twilight and the deep shadows which form across the landscape. The body of work demonstrates a sophisticated understanding and controlled use of colour and brushwork throughout, revealed through the range of natural greens, the shifting tonality of the sky, the use of atmospheric perspective and expressive use of broken colour in the foliage and trees.