WA and US artists come together to reflect on legacies they leave on the land in new SW exhibition

In an art gallery tucked into the rolling hills of the South West, artists have reflected deeply on their lives to understand what the world will be like after they die. The Legacy Exhibition hosted by Collie Art Gallery is a collaboration between 10 artists from the Great Southern region and Northwestern US, exploring the theme of “Legacy – what do we hope to leave behind?” After the summer bushfires in 2019 and 2020, Denmark artist and curator Jen Mitchell was inspired to reflect on her home and the legacy of interaction between humans and the environment, and what we will leave behind. Since then, the theme has grown to a vibrant and interdisciplinary two-year collaboration between painters, photographers, poets, textile artists and sculptors from two sides of the same planet. Mitchell said the exhibition created a space where people could appreciate and contemplate their own legacies. “We wanted to create a safe, beautiful and hopeful space to reflect on the world we hope to leave for our collective children’s children’s children,” Mitchell said. “It feels like the only time we generally reflect on the idea of legacy is either at funerals or in the context of corporate legacy. “What would it look like to instead be guided in our daily interactions by a vision of the world we hope to leave for future generations?” Textile artist and co-curator Ruth Halbert said she had enjoyed experiencing the interaction between artists from WA and the US. “We live in very different physical environments, from the ancient landscape of the South West of Western Australia to the vibrant volcanic terrain of the Northwest USA and Alaska, but there are rich connections between themes and passions of these diverse artists,” she said. The exhibition is on display until January 23.