Constant Ecology: Kate Wallace

In 2020 the various cultural, economic, environmental and global ecologies we find ourselves undergoing major upheavals and transformations. From the unprecedented bushfires to the global pandemic, these changes to our contingent and fragile ecology require urgent reflection and critical scrutiny. In response, four independent art organisations—BLINDSIDE, CAVES, KINGS Artist-Run and West Space—have developed Constant Ecology, a collaborative initiative that seeks to address this current moment by supporting a series of in-home residencies by artists and creatives based in Victoria.

Constant Ecology commissioned eight artists to undertake a two-month, at-home residency during this period of isolation, to allow artists to think-through, unpack and creatively respond to the current ecological crisis in all of its manifestations.

The artists participating in Constant Ecology include: Maya Hodge, Joseph L. Griffiths, Amalia Lindo, Amy Jane Parker, Kate Ellis, Sam Peterson, Kate Wallace, and Noriko Nakamura.

Blindside liaison Jake Treacy will be supporting Kate Wallace in this residency.

Looking out and looking in with nowhere else to go. Like many, the weight of being separated from loved ones and friends has been significant. So too have the restrictions governing our very movements. However difficult, this time in isolation has exemplified systemic issues of access and inequality. It has been reassuring to find solace through a screen. To seek comfort when barriers to transit remain. And yet the prevalence of loneliness persists.

Reflecting upon the experience of isolation in an age of ecological unrest, the project will explore ideas of escapism, nostalgia and a longing for worlds distant and unknown. Through a series of paintings and writings made during the residency, there will be online and physical outcomes to this project. In tandem with a physical and online exhibition of works, the written components of this project will be made available via regular blog updates.