Kelly Slater
Artist Talk & Closing Event / Sunday 12 May, 2pm
Runs / Thu 2 – Sun 12 May 2019
Photographer Kelly Slater’s solo exhibition MARKS that make PLACE is the result of a photographic study of an inhabited landscape that explores the physical marks made by people over time at Mersey Bluff, Devonport, Tasmania.
Kelly uses the term ‘marks’ in an expansive way from a sailing boat carved into a stump to a piece of lost clothing draped over a tree. Slater states that ‘these marks give land a tangible sense of place’ and that ‘it is the layers of experience both natural and constructed, which create places.’
This exhibition is presented with the support of the Tasmanian Aboriginal custodians of this area; Six River Aboriginal Corporation. It offers a personal and contemporary view of a landscape which is deeply connected to the community of Devonport.
This exhibition is a part of the Head On Photo Festival
Artist Statement
Shallow or deep, the imprint of human activity can be seen across the surfaces of this Place. Permanent or ephemeral, the marks, structures and spaces that have developed, reflect how strongly people have been drawn to it.
Each person will make their own connections to a place, influenced by the things that they see, hear and experience, and the things they remember and imagine.
I believe we belong to this earth. We leave or experiences in the land; it is the layers of experience both natural and constructed, which create places.
What is the legacy of the marks we as leave on our shared Places and how they will be experienced by generations to come?
Biography
Kelly Slater is an emerging artist, building an arts practice in photography in Northwest Tasmania. Drawing on two decades of experience as a student and professional photographer, Kelly aims to explore image making that, goes beyond expected representative images of landscape and environment and seeks to offer a personal interpretation of human connection to Place.
Navigating the transition from commercial photographer to artist is an ongoing journey requiring personal resilience and focus, as well as the ability to engage with other arts workers and the broader community. Kelly is actively looking for pathways and opportunities to extend her practice as an artist and build connections within the arts community.
Kelly continues to build and maintain her established connections within heritage and cultural organisations in her local Northwest Tasmanian community, using creative visual interpretation skills to support community and volunteer-based projects.
