Amanda Penrose Hart, Port Kembla Coast, 2022. Acrylic on paper. Courtesy: the artist and Wollongong Art Gallery, Wollongong.

Lying to the south of Sydney, the Illawarra region has long been studied and celebrated by artists and writers, from Conrad Martens, Max Dupain, DH Lawrence, Charmian Clift to Brett Whiteley and Gary Shead. Its creative history extends back more than 60,000 years in a vibrant and continuous connection to Country, through the cultural disruption of colonisation, and periods of boom and bust as different industries and people have moved to the area and shaped the landscape around them.

Landscape Tells the Way: Illawarra, curated by Riste Andrievski, brings together 13 contemporary artists who share a connection to the region and features their unique perspectives on the local landscape.

Exhibited artists include Riste Andrievski, Suzanne Archer, Sophie Cape, Elisabeth Cummings, Warwick Keen, Steve Lopes, Jo Lyons, Euan Macleod, Noel McKenna, Reg Mombassa, Idris Murphy, Lucy O’Doherty and Amanda Penrose Hart.