illuminate ‘24

Photography | Brian Rope

illuminate ‘24 | Friends Photographic Group

ANBG Visitor Centre Gallery | 28 November – 15 December 2024

Exhibitions staged in the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) Visitor Centre Gallery seek to explore the Australian environment through a range of creative artforms. illuminate ‘24 is the 11th annual exhibition by the Friends of the ANBG Photographic Group.

Most of the exhibits were judged for the David Cox memorial awards in a Flora category with " Grevillea" as the chosen species and a Fauna category. Canberra Times photographer Karleen Minney and I were invited to select three winners in each category (authors were not identified to us until after we had made our decisions.) 

We looked for artworks that stood out for us, distinguishing them from an overall high-quality selection of images displaying the wonderful native flora and diverse fauna, mostly with abundantly rich colour.

The Fauna Award went to Simone Slater for a delightful artwork titled Two’s company. It is a simply delightful montage of six images all featuring the same fauna – a variegated (or spotted amber) ladybug generally loved for its cuteness. Here are just three of the images. Go and see the exhibition if you can, to enjoy the complete montage.

     Two’s company 1 © Simone Slater

Two’s company 4 © Simone Slater

Two’s company 5 © Simone Slater

Slaters’ excellent photographic skills are very much evident in this work.

Second in the fauna category was Kerry Boden’s The Circular Showdown featuring a very different type of fauna – Gippsland Water Dragons. The title is spot on. The ANBG website tells us that water dragons are fast runners and strong climbers, who will quickly disappear into the bushes when scared, but if you are quiet and patient you may see them communicating to each other with little arm-waving movements. These two are communicating with each other in a very different way – the dust is flying as they circle around chasing each other. Boden has captured the event most effectively.

The Circular Showdown © Kerry Boden

Third in fauna category was Pink petals and native wings by Debbie Howard. The composition of this shot and the rich complementary colours in it draw the eye. The circular soft focus yellow shape in the background (presumably the centre of another flower) could almost be the sun. The native Halictidae lasioglossum bee can be clearly seen and is positioned well in the composition.

Pink petals and native wings © Debbie Howard

The Flora (Grevillea) Award also went to Simone Slater. Washed Out is a monochrome image with spectacular detail, both of the Grevillea lanigera (also known as a Woolly grevillea) and of the water droplets on its surface. It stands out both because it is monochrome and because of those details. The composition is also unusual with the main subject being “attached” to the top left corner of the image and the remainder being shades of grey and black. All of that combines to create an artwork that stands out.

Washed Out © Simone Slater

Second in the Flora (Grevillea) award was given to The critically endangered Tumut Grevillea with pollinator, White-naped Honeyeater. This image by artist Pam Rooney includes fauna with the flora. The honeyeater has been captured in a splendid position performing its important role as a pollinator. One eye seems to be looking directly at the camera’s lens.

The critically endangered Tumut Grevillea with pollinator, White-naped Honeyeater © Pam Rooney

The third placegetter in Flora (Grevillea) was Impression, Grevillea 'Coconut Ice'. Fanny Karouta-Manasse, unlike most other exhibitors, is showing an image which has not gone in close on some detailed section of the flora. Rather, this is an image of a largish area of a very hardy Grevillea before a background of trees. What also makes it stand out from the crowd is that it has a look and feel reminiscent of a watercolour painting. The word “impression” in the title fits the image perfectly.

Impression, Grevillea 'Coconut Ice' © Fanny Karouta-Manasse

The exhibition successfully displays, in print, numerous aspects of Australia’s beautiful natural environment as seen through the lenses of the exhibitors’ cameras.

All the prints are worthy of close examination, and I encourage readers to visit and see for themselves if possible.

This review is also available on the author's blog here.