Images of Tasmania

Anna Brooks completed an Honours degree in Fine Arts at the University of Tasmania in 2021.  She has been exhibiting regularly since then and has twice been a finalist in the Henry Jones emerging artist prize.  Almost all her work is inspired by the natural world.  She works primarily with drawing, printmaking and photography.  The works in this exhibition depict skeletons and ghostly images of whales, to allude to the loss of Southern Right Whales caused by whaling.  Although whaling in Australia ceased in 1978, Southern Right Whale numbers have only recovered slowly and the species is still classified as endangered.  In the 1930s, whale products were one of the biggest export earners for Tasmania.  There were whaling stations at Maria Island, Bruny island, Ralph’s Bay, Freycinet Peninsula and Bicheno, among other places.  Whale oil was used to light Tasmanian streets and homes.  Whaling is therefore a significant part of our history and, although it has faded away, the impact on Right Whale numbers remains.

Contact: annab6200@hotmail.com

Artist website: https://sites.google.com/view/annabrooks