SONGLINES OF THE HERE AND NOW: ARTIST TANYA HOUGHTON
Covering 10,500 km of the Australian landscape, artist Tanya Houghton captures a serene atmosphere through her photography of the natural world.
Titled, Songlines of the Here + Now, 22 beautifully shot images are on display at the Argentea Gallery in Birmingham from until October 27th. Shot over the course of five weeks, Houghton’s work demonstrates a communication between herself and the landscape that serves as her subject.
Every photograph explores the past and present connections to intertwine the undisturbed, ancient landscapes of Australia.
There is no focus on people, an important factor considering how much the land of Australia has changed due to the influx of people during the imperial period. Rather, the work focusses on the mythology of the environment that is the outback and as a result pays homage to the Indigenous Aboriginals’ connection to the land that has been their home for thousands of years.
An undeniable central theme of her work are these conflicting agendas of Australian’s use of the land, a result of commercialisation, and the Aboriginal people’s respect of it. Combining traditional landscape and portrait photography with conceptual still life images created using objects from the spaces and people she works with. Though she explores the tension between the Urban (man) and the Rural (nature) Tanya is interested in learning the stories we as humans imprint onto the landscape and in return the stories those landscapes tell about us.
Tanya’s work has been recognised by The British Journal of Photography – Breakthrough Award and Jennie Anderson, the Owner of the Argentea Gallery said: “I’ve long admired Tanya’s work and am delighted to be able to exhibit Songlines of the Here + Now. While always respecting cultural sensitivities, her aim was to get a profound understanding of this cultural phenomenon. In these increasingly intolerant and sectarian times, it is vital that we aspire to a deeper inter-ethnic understanding.”
Eleanor Forrest
