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Researcher expresses environmental concern in art exhibition

November 17, 2005

Marty.thumb.jpgFor PhD student Marty Branagan, the role of the arts in bringing about non-violent social change is not just an academic interest: the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) is now showing an exhibition of Marty's paintings.

In his almost-completed research at The University of New England, Marty has examined the development in Australia since the 1980s of non-violent activity promoting social change, and the role of the arts in that process. His paintings focus particularly on aspects of that change relating to the environment.

The paintings in the NERAM exhibition, "A Void; The Edge", are mainly landscapes depicting the coasts and tablelands of northern NSW. "I like to feature wild nature because it affords me great revitalisation and inspiration," he said. "I am also keen to encourage conservation and regeneration as solutions to global climate change and our crisis of species extinctions." Some of the paintings experiment with collage involving photography and found objects. "The photographs feature close family members, city actions, and forests, falls, creeks and campfires between Mungindi and Bongil Bongil," he explained.

"I want people to go away from the exhibition inspired with our local landscape," he said. "This is an amazing place to live in, but I get concerned when I see clearing still happening on farms, and people chopping down trees in town and not replacing them." One of the largest paintings in the exhibition overtly suggests that simply planting native trees could solve a range of environmental problems.

Marty (pictured here with one of the paintings in the exhibition) has been painting for the past 20 years. He said he had been initially inspired by the Impressionist paintings and the Picassos in the Louvre, and had realised that "paintings didn't have to be like a photograph". "I started off doing abstract paintings, but moved steadily towards a more representative style," he said.

He has had several solo exhibitions, including an earlier one at NERAM and one in Alice Springs. One of his paintings was acquired by the Northern Territory Art Award, and is now in the Araluen Collection in Alice Springs. He was a finalist in the 2003 Country Energy Landscape Art Prize.

Another art form that that Marty has been involved in is theatre - particularly street theatre and puppetry. His satirical puppet shows (assisted by Doug Westhorpe and others) featuring John Howard and George Bush are a well-known part of Armidale rallies.

"A Void; The Edge" continues at NERAM until the 12th of December.


Media contact: Marty Branagan at UNE on (02) 6773 3115 or Jim Scanlan, UNE Public Relations, on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at November 17, 2005 11:44 AM