DRAWN TO PLACE: A SHIFT IN THE LANDSCAPE
Curated by Belinda Hungerford

ALEX ASCH
MARIANA DELCASTILLO
PATSY ASCH

Sep 29 - Nov 12, 2023
New England Regional Art Museum

The artists in the exhibition, DRAWN TO PLACE, have close connections: Mother-Son, Husband-Wife, Mother-in-Law-Daughter-in-Law. However, they have different approaches to exploring and visually representing the landscape, from the mediums they work in, photography, textiles, monotypes/collage, and construction, to the inspiration for their work. At their core is a fascination and concern for the environment and the impact of Nature on materials, the slow cycle of extraction, erosion, the scars of colonial farming, and a fear of global warming. There is a collective determination to represent and abstract this visual space and to choose works for the exhibition that are in dialogue with one another.

ALEX ASCH
I have always been drawn to weathered materials, to the iconic form-ply that is used to erect the concrete structures of our cities, to galvanised steel used to construct our rural buildings, to the painted signs of our roadways abandoned in tips, reclamation yards and rural properties across the Southern tablelands. I essentially create collages, shaping and moving the metal pieces into compositions resembling landscapes. I don’t alter the surfaces of any of my materials, often choosing those replete with embedded concrete, the accidental scarring of overuse and weathering.