bonita ely: Three Rivers

 

The Australian Experimental Art Foundation continues its examination of ephemeral art practices begun in 2010 by presenting a major survey of Bonita Ely's long-running engagement with environmental art. 'Three Rivers' reflects upon the effects of mining, the consequence of dams, the ecological degradation of the Murray River and the Murray-Darling Basin, bringing us up to date with photographs of the 2011 floods. This current work, 'The Murray's Edge', is an acute examination of the Murray River from the headwaters in the Mount Kosciusko National Park to the Coorong Basin in South Australia. The narrative sequence refers at times to the artist's earlier works, resulting in a compelling study of the Murray River from the 1970s until the present.

Born in Mildura, Victoria, in 1946, Ely has a diverse practice and is one of Australia's most important artists working with environmental, socio-political issues. She completed a Diploma of Fine Arts (Sculpture) at Prahran College of Fine Art, Melbourne, a Master of Arts (Visual Art) at Sydney College of the Arts, and a PhD at the University of Western Sydney. She has had numerous solo exhibitions, received public sculpture commissions and has been selected for many group exhibitions nationally and internationally. Bonita Ely is currently Director of Postgraduate Research at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney where she is a founding member of the Environmental Research Institute for Art (ERIA).