Sunday 19 August 2012

"Water hole"- the mythological underworld of Narelle Autio


Narelle Autio's new exhibition "Water hole" set deep underwater in the outback of Australia,
reveals a dark mysterious world beyond most human experience.  “Her underwater landscapes contain an element of dark fantasy, like the mythological underworld of Persephone” (Stills Gallery).

Persephone, the Queen of the underworld in ancient Greek mythology lived in a dark landscape that that is analogous to the underwater world and altered state of visual consciousness as documented in the Narelle’s photographs.

©Narelle Autio
Exhibition card from "Water hole" at Stills Gallery


The vivid saturated colours of her previous series "Coastal Dwellers" and "Watercolours" transitions to a subtle palette of blue, green, and earth tones in "Water hole".

At the opening of the exhibition at Stills Gallery in Sydney, I feel I have taken a head first plunge into an abyss where shafts of light reflect and glisten like a diamond caught by a strong light inside a dark cave.  

I feel as if I have been immersed into a cold underwater world filled with buried treasures that are uncovered and reflected in the luminous prints and light box. Narelle's inquisitive eye for the tension between the mystery and poetry of the world of water create an eerie vista.

Years ago traveling through the interior of Australia, I visited some of the same water holes where Narelle has photographed. In 1999, I remember walking alone along an isolated path in the Northern Territory and feeling as though there were eyes watching me.  The fear of crocodiles made me turn back and not plunge into the beautiful water. There are warning signs for crocodiles around many water holes in remote parts of Australia. According to Narelle, the photos from the exhibition are not from areas where saltwater crocodiles frequent. Each plunge into her underwater abyss, however, is like a liquid mirror of goddess Persephone’s world of fear and beauty.

The photographs were captured during a recent six-month journey through the interior of Australia with her partner, Trent Parke and their two children. I asked Narelle where her children were during her shoots. "Sometimes the boys were down the river with Trent and other times they were floating above me," she said.  This is one of the many things that inspire me about Narelle's work/life ethos and her art of being a mother and creating beautiful photographs.

Narelle was one of the original members of Oculi. I worked with her for many years as Oculi went from a grass-roots photographic movement to an internationally recognized collective.  Although she left the Oculi a few years ago, her warm spirit, energy and vision is reflected in the foundations of Oculi and her approach to documenting the everyday in Australia is an inspiration

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“Water hole” is a mystical visual landscape in a deep dark underwater world. The 28 untitled prints linger in my memory long after leaving the darkened gallery.  This is a must-see exhibition that is running concurrently at Stills Gallery in Sydney until August 25th, 2012 and
Hugo Michell Gallery in Adelaide.





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