All gardens are artificial constructs. English gardens cultivated in Australia in part represent a nostalgia for a distant homeland, creating traditional picturesque spaces that involve taming bush landscapes. Australian explorers and settlers witnessed Indigenous farming and gardening techniques, however dismissed this embedded knowledge as it did not serve a colonial agenda.
The possibilities of what constitutes a garden, and what it might culturally represent are explored in the exhibition Garden. In reassessing plant-human relations, to develop chlorophilia, a love for plants, we might pause to foster deeper connections with plants and each other whilst cultivating care.
Garden is a solo show by Heather Hesterman and is part of the 2020 Human Rights Arts and Film Festival.

Location

Counihan Gallery, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick