Valerie Sparks questions the digital limits of photography, merging art and design as she incorporates photomedia into large-scale immersive environments, enticing the viewer with idealised, unobtainable landscapes depicting flora, fauna and taxidermied animals. This exhibition brings together key works that chart the history of Sparks’ practice; from her ‘Le Vol’ and ‘Prospero’s Island’ series to her reinterpretations of 18th century French scenic wallpapers, frescoes and contemporary three-dimensional light-based installations. Each work deals with concerns over the destruction of landscape, post-colonialism and globalisation.
Valerie Sparks, Prospero’s Island – North East, 2016 from the series Prospero’s Island, pigment ink-jet print, 140 x 220cm. Monash Gallery of Art, City of Monash Collection acquired 2017. Courtesy the artist and Monash Gallery of Art, Melbourne
Valerie Sparks, Le Vol 1 (detail), 2014, pigment ink-jet print, 140 x 220cm. Courtesy the artist and Monash Gallery of Art, Melbourne
Monash Gallery of Art
Until 18 November, 2018
Melbourne
