Close to Home and Two Views by Marie Mansfield and Louise Whelan now showing at Juniper Hall.

Some of my best past times have been spent getting lost amongst the stalls of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Wandering around, I always noticed the country kids amongst the throngs of city kids looking at the animals like they were aliens and marvelling in the country kids ability to walk up to the animals and be so natural with them.

This is why when I took in the marvellous photography of Louise Whelan, I fell in love with the “country like fair” feel of the show. Two Views: Landscapes of a Plastic Universe and Agricultural Shows of Australia are two ongoing series that explores the many facets of Australia life and culture, including our relationship with the environment, animals, technology and ritual. The Agricultural Show is focused on reminding us that while we advance in areas such as technology and lifestyle, we still are deeply rooted in the cultural practices that make Australia unique to the rest of the world.

I really loved the way the photographs were lit in the natural light in the photograph. Like I mentioned at the start of this review, I have an affection for the Sydney Royal Easter Show, and one thing that never seems to change is the fact that it is always raining when I go. In some of the photographs, I can see that it is overcast and rainy and that evokes a really nostalgic feeling for me. I know this probably won’t be the same for everyone, but I really connected to the photographs from that feeling. I guess it’s every artists wish to have their audience connect to their work, and I really felt like Louise Whelan achieved that feeling for me.

Another positive aspect of the photographs is the inclusion of multiculturalism and their reaction to our culture. I loved the photograph of the tourists looking at awe at their surroundings.

To my surprise, this wasn’t the only part of her photography that Louise wanted to showcase. Moving towards the back rooms, we are also treated to the second part of her exhibition entitled Landscapes of a Plastic Universe. This completely different  photography collection focused on our relationship to the plastic bottle. The technicolour lights kept this theme of carnivals going on into this part of the exhibition, but I feel like more explanation had to be done to fully appreciate why these photographs were included in the show.

Marie Mansfield’s Close to Home exhibition cut a different feel altogether. It was a bit jarring to go from happy and lighthearted to serious and interesting. Marie is known for taking the time to extract the essence of a person and putting it into her work. That feeling was really resonant with her portraits of recognisable faces that were so intricate and classic. Those portraits were formed with very deliberate brush strokes, and those strokes highlighted the angles of the persons face or the flip of their hair. Gave off a really relaxed feeling, unposed and interesting.

The paintings of the broken household items also gave me a little sense of nostalgia. They reminded me of items I’d find in my Nanna’s house, although it felt really sad that those items are broken. The paintings are described as the results of the earthquakes that shook Christchurch a few years back. After all that devastation, it’s easy to forget the little family items that can be destroyed as a result of things like an earthquake and how that can impact someones life.

I loved the attention to detail the fine china and household items had. Very classical style painting yet unique to Mansfield’s style. It was clear from all the paintings being shown that Marie is multi-talented as there was many different styles of portraits and paintings to see.

In a way I can see why these two artists were paired together to showcase at Juniper Hall, but it wasn’t an immediate realisation, and it could confuse people who are there to see the show. It may be easier for the audience if there was a clear indication as to whose exhibition was whose.

Besides those slight misconceptions, I really enjoyed the exhibition. I find it’s hard to criticise anything the Moran Foundation deem good enough for their prizes since the artists are so versatile and interesting. If you’re feeling like an afternoon of photography and portraiture, head down to the Juniper Hall Gallery on Oxford Street. The exhibition is on until the 14th of August.