Symbiotic Ecologies

Symbiotic Ecologies is a creative response to the most pressing issue of our time – the climate crisis. Curated by Kath Fries, the exhibition engages with ecological thinking as foundational to renewed symbiotic relationships with nature, affirming the interconnectedness of life and all living things. This approach seeks to counter the pervasive pessimism of eco- anxiety and solastalgia, feelings of loss associated with negative environmental changes that have already occurred. The exhibition features work of four artists, Ellen Dahl, Talitha Kennedy, Kath Fries and Eduardo Wolfe-Alegria.

Excerpt from Symbiotic Ecologies catalogue essay, by Kath Fries

The enchanting nocturnal landscapes of Eduardo Wolfe-Alegria’s paintings, harbour a liminal zone with a dream-like sense of tension. Hung on dark blue walls, above the stairs in the gallery, these two paintings become fairytale windows. Allowing glimpses into a different time and place, with alluring anthropomorphic characters and a sense of sinister elements lurking in the shadows. The fantasy milieu of Wolfe- Alegria’s playful narratives is drawn from his lived experiences and personal relationships with the rural and wild ecologies of Walbanja Country, NSW. Whilst living there he became attuned to both seen and unseen forces around him. The flowering and quick spreading exotic weeds became emblematic, evolving within and substantially altering the local ecosystems. In Wolfe-Alegria’s works these characters take on almost supernatural powers, like the sculpted kangaroo-sized fluffy dandelion, invasive beckoning fungi, rouge triffid-like Scottish thistle dancing under the stars, and stealthy feral cats peering out of the shadows. The mountains and rivers similarly come alive, encouraging a sense of connection and imaginative understandings. Suggesting the mysterious and unknown, that there is always more going on than we can comprehend. Wolfe-Alegria’s enchanted worldviews are a playful imaginative form of ecological thinking, inviting different types of relational understandings into our lived experiences.

Symbiotic Ecologies, installation view, Delmar Gallery, Sydney, 2024
Eduardo Wolfe-Alegria, Kath Fries, Ellen Dahl, Talitha Kennedy
Dimensions Variable
Image credit: Silver Salt Photography