Anna Louise Richardson’s practice is centred around rural life, embedded in the experience and drama of everyday reality. Working primarily in charcoal and graphite large-scale drawings, Richardson’s work explores ideas of intergenerational exchange, parenthood and identity based on her experiences of living and working on a multi-generation beef cattle farm in rural Australia.
Anna Louise Richardson in her studio, 2023. Photograph: Bo Wong. Courtesy the artist and Granville Centre Art Gallery, Sydney
The Good emerges from Richardson’s broader investigations into the complex relationships between humans and the natural world, tinged by grief and the competing demands of nurturing new life. In a world increasingly defined by division and hardship, Richardson’s work points to the necessary act of radical optimism needed to seek goodness in all things.
Richardson says: “My work is autobiographical, chronicling my life through the objects around me, objects that are steeped in meaning and memory, yet are present in many peoples realities. The scale of my drawings bring their stories to life. I hope that The Good will bring something familiar to regional audiences nationwide and spark a connection between my life and theirs. Together we can see the good in all things.”
The Good, installation view, Anna Louise Richardson’s studio, 2023. Photograph: Bo Wong. Courtesy the artist and Granville Centre Art Gallery, Sydney
Curators Rachel Arndt and Lee-Anne Hall explain: “The Good is the culmination of Western Australian artist Anna Louise Richardson’s explorations into her layered relationships with the natural world, coloured by love, loss and the complexities of nurturing new life as a young mother while living on her family’s multi-generational farm on Whadjuk Nyoongar Boodja (Country). Richardson’s work has incredible resonances with communities across the country, many of whom have experienced prolonged periods of hardship. The Good is both catalyst and opportunity for audiences across the country to explore what the ‘good’ means within the lives of individuals, families and communities.”
Granville Centre Art Gallery
29 November 2023 to 18 February 2024
Sydney
