IMANTS TILLERS & JANET LAURENCE featured in HOLDING GROUND at S.H. Ervin Gallery

HOLDING GROUND, curated by Gavin Wilson, investigates how the places we live in sustain the fragile web of life, and how local landscapes shape cultural identity, ecological awareness and human connection. With artists drawn from Sydney, Blue Mountains, Northern Rivers and regional NSW, the exhibition offers perspectives shaped by rural, coastal and non-metropolitan environments, while also reflecting on urban development, environmental stewardship and our relationship to land and water.

Artworks by IMANTS TILLERS, widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, feature alongside Sydney-based artist JANET LAURENCE, whose internationally recognised practice engages with ecology, environment and place. They are joined by a diverse group of established and emerging artists whose work reflects deep engagement with landscape, land use and lived experience across New South Wales.

The exhibition runs at S.H. Ervin Gallery until Sunday 3 May 2026.

JANET LAURENCE Artist Talk about The Burnt Sea at The University of Melbourne

Join JANET LAURENCE for an intimate artist talk, where she will discuss her commitment to a practice grounded in an alchemical language of care and empathy. Laurence’s work falls at the intersection of art, science, imagination, and memory, foregrounding the symbiosis and interconnection of organic elements and systems of nature.

The talk will focus on Laurence’s work Deep Breathing Resuscitation for the Reef, first exhibited in Paris during the United Nations Convention on Climate Change in late 2015. Laurence will also discuss her work with lost corals, and her recent exhibit The Burnt Sea at the Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung Gallery, Berlin. Her continued focus on the fragility of the natural environment - especially in this time of catastrophe - reveals the ways that loving attention can invigorate generosity and action.

The talk will be introduced by Dr Tessa Laird, and will be followed by a Q&A.

Forum Theatre, Arts West, The University of Melbourne
Wednesday 19th November
6.30pm – 7.30pm

JANET LAURENCE featured in Look Magazine by the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Featured in the latest edition of Look Magazine from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, JANET LAURENCE reflects on the artworks that have inspired, influenced, and stayed with her -pieces that have shaped her deep and poetic connection with the natural world.

Known for her immersive installations that blend science, memory, natural history and alchemy, Laurence’s practice brings nature’s fragility into focus. From mosses to minerals, seeds to stones, her work reveals what often goes unseen - urging us to rethink our relationship with the environment and to reimagine a more sustainable future.

In works such as The memory of nature (2010), part of the AGNSW’s collection, she constructs modern-day wunderkammers - cabinets of curiosity - where remnants of nature are preserved, mourned and celebrated. Her practice, like her studio, is filled with organic forms and quiet wonder: transparent boxes, books, and natural artefacts finding new connections through proximity and process.

More information here >

JANET LAURENCE Features in Exclusive RACV Exhibition 'Apposite Ground'

JANET LAURENCE features in the RACV exhibition 'Apposite Ground', the Bourke Street members lounge.

Janet Laurence's transformative installations invite viewers to contemplate the fragility and resilience of our environment challenging our perceptions and inviting us to see the world anew.

A superb show curated by RACV's Ellen Wagnell. Opens to RACV members on Friday Aug 8 and run until Nov 9 2025.

IMAGES:
JANET LAURENCE, Halo, from the series Once Were Forests, 2023.
JANET LAURENCE, Holding the sacred, 2025.

Also featuring:
JANET LAURENCE, Carbon Veil II, (medium), 2009
JANET LAURENCE, Within My Stride, 2013.

JANET LAURENCE Featured on My Garden Path

JANET LAURENCE was recently profiled on Gardening Australia’s "My Garden Path". In this beautiful segment, Janet invites us into her studio and garden—spaces where art and ecology entwine. Known for her immersive installations that explore the fragility of ecosystems and our connection to the natural world, Janet speaks about her practice with poetic clarity.

Watch the full story here >

JANET LAURENCE exhibition 'Burnt Sea' opens in Berlin

Janet Laurence's new evocative installation, The Burnt Sea is now on view at the Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung in Berlin. This site-specific work transforms Alfred Ehrhardt’s 1930s–40s coral photographs into delicate silk veils that drift like underwater relics—fragmented, translucent, and fading.

Air currents and light animate these floating fabrics, echoing the fragility of our oceans and the devastating impact of coral bleaching.

Laurence’s poetic layering of embroidery and ash-toned imagery creates a space of mourning and reflection, while a “reef hospital” of bleached coral and coloured threads offers a glimmer of hope and restoration. This exhibition is a powerful call to action in the face of ecological crisis.

For more details, visit: aestiftung.de

JANET LAURENCE wins Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize 2025

ARC ONE Gallery is thrilled to announce that Janet Laurence is this year’s winner of the 2025 Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize with her beautifully striking and poignant artwork Moss Water Ice Temperature Rising (2024). This award is one of the highest valued professional artists prizes in Australia. Janet is greatly honoured to have received this award last night. As one of this country’s key creative minds with a practice that is underpinned by a deep love and concern for the overwhelming importance of the natural world, we congratulate her.

JANET LAURENCE Features in OpenField Festival

Janet Laurence's new stunning immersive installation The Court Requiem for Nature just opened to the public as part of the arts festival OpenField at Berry Courthouse in the regional town, Berry.

Janet was also part of an artists' panel discussion 'RE:Place' moderated by Bundanon's CEO Rachel Kent with fellow artists Joan Ross, June Golland, and Kenneth Lambert.

OpenField is from 13 - 15 June 2025.

More information >

Image: Installation view of Janet Laurence, The Court Requiem for Nature, The Court Requiem for Nature, New South Wales.

Review of ARC ONE Gallery at Melbourne Art Fair

We’re grateful to Clever Planet (@clever.planet) for their generous words on ARC ONE’s presence at this year’s Melbourne Art Fair (@melbourneartfair).

Their article, Traversing Terrains, highlights the quiet power of our presentation — where the practices of Janet Laurence, Marina Rolfe, and John Young intersected around material sensitivity, memory, and ecological care.

Writer Natalie Thomas described the ARC ONE booth as “contemplative and gentle,” a space that invited visitors to slow down and consider the shifting terrain of contemporary experience. We’re proud to have contributed this moment of stillness within the Fair’s vibrant momentum.

Read the full article here.

JANET LAURENCE - Open Field Arts Festival

Here is a behind the scenes glance at the installation JANET LAURENCE is creating for the Open Field Arts Festival in Berry this June.

More information >

JANET LAURENCE - Exhibition Progress Sneak Peek

SNEAK PEEK

JANET LAURENCE is working towards an upcoming exhibition in Berlin at the Alfred Erhardt Foundation. Using Erhardts incredible images of corals she has been exploring how magnification reveals their extraordinary patterns.

JANET LAURENCE Features in the Lyrebird Festival

LYREBIRD FESTIVAL

This weekend Janet Laurence has been a part of the Lyrebird Festival in Megalong Valley, NSW. In a rustic barn (last slide), Laurence has presented three video works: The Other Side of Nature (2014), Requiem (2021); and Vanishing (2009).

The Lyrebird Festival returns in 2024, celebrating the spectacular Megalong Valley with music, art, food and wine, talks and nature walks. The festival continues until Sunday, 17 November.

JANET LAURENCE x AESOP

JANET LAURENCE x AESOP

If you are in Sydney, pop down to Aesop's flagship store in The Strand for a special installation of The Fragrance Laboratory, a collaboration inspired by a number of Janet Laurence’s key works that feature labware and plant materials, including the acclaimed Elixir Lab, the H20: Water Bar and the monumental 2017 mixed-media work Matter of the Masters at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Aesop stores in Sydney and Melbourne have been cleared of all products, excluding fragrance, and transformed into immersive sensorial environments in a collaboration with Janet Laurence. The partnership is born of shared interests in art, science, memory and imagination, and a common dedication to creating a more sustainable future.

It has been lovely to work with Aesop and Luke Mortimer for this inspired collaboration. More to come in Melbourne next week, when The Fragrance Laboratory is launched in Flinders Lane!

'We share a philosophy that uses aesthetics to create an experiential space that can express wonder and a relationship between nature and science,’ said Laurence. ‘The focus of my work is the beauty and complexity of the natural world and the fragility of our environment. The collaboration with Aesop is a further exploration of these ideas.’

JANET LAURENCE artist residency talk at State Buildings in Perth

This week Janet Laurence will travel to Perth to take up an artist's residency in the iconic State Buildings in Perth.

During August, audiences will be invited to visit Laurence's studio and observe her process, from her exploration of initial concepts and materials, to how these emerge within her practice.

On 9 August, visitors can do just that, with a private viewing of Laurence's latest work where the artist will discuss her artistic journey, creative process, and the environmental themes that influence her work. This will be followed by an afternoon tea of finely curated teas and luxurious treats.

See @statebuildings website for bookings.

MURRAY FREDERICKS, JANET LAURENCE & ANNE ZAHALKA Feature in the 2024 MAPh X Artist photography auction

MAPh X Artist photography auction

Book tickets now for your chance to bid on these three magnificent works by Murray Fredericks, Anne Zahalka and Janet Laurence.

MAPh has joined forces with artists to create a unique auction where we will share equally in the sale proceeds of their work, giving buyers the opportunity to have a direct impact on artists and their practice. MAPH is also offering absentee and telephone bidding.

MAPh X Artist photography auction
📅 Thursday 6 June 2024, 6pm for 7pm auction. Drinks and canapés on arrival
📍James Makin Gallery, 89 Islington St, Collingwood VIC 3066

Full catalogue including estimates and booking details via @maph_photography

IMAGES:

1. Murray FREDERICKS
BLAZE #28 2023
from the series BLAZE
pigment ink-jet print
120.0 x 150.0 cm

2. Anne ZAHALKA
You Are On Bondi Bidjigal Land! 2020
pigment ink-jet print on cotton rag
115.0 x 190.0 cm

3 - 5. Janet LAURENCE
In your verdant view 2020
Duraclear print on Shinkolite acrylic
4 panels, 30 x 28 cm each

Artist Talk with JANET LAURENCE & MAPh Director Anouska Phizacklea

Last week’s online talk with artist Janet Laurence and MAPh Director Anouska Phizacklea is now available to watch online here.

Learn about Tears of dust, Laurence's exhibition for PHOTO 2024 held at MAPh, discuss key moments in the artist’s remarkable career and hear about the ideas that drive her work.

JANET LAURENCE at Curtin University

Watch this magnificent behind-the-scenes film documenting Janet Laurence’s permanent site-specific installation CLIFF, installed at The School of Design and the Built Environment Building, at Curtin University, Perth.

“Imagine you are climbing a cliff, as you ascend the viewing staircase. CLIFF brings you the earth, not as a representation but as presentation of Earth itself, in the form of rocks each with its own story - of time, weather, movement, and formation." - Janet Laurence

This project was commissioned by Curtin University and completed with support from Event Engineering and Apparatus. The recently completed The School of Design building was designed by John Wardle Architects.

JANET LAURENCE - Tears of Dust

NEW PUBLICATION

Artist Janet Laurence created this captivating volume that encapsulates the many strands of her creative process and advocacy for the natural world that inform her exhibition 'Tears of dust', curated by MAPh Director Anouska Phizacklea.

Designed by Pidgeon Ward, this publication distills the essence of Laurence's practice into an artefact that marks not only this exhibition, but many years of inquiry, research and care. You can hear Laurence speak at the PHOTO 2024 Ideas Summit this Friday, where she'll be addressing 'Photography as activism' in 'The Alchemical Life: new ways of living on our fragile planet'.

'Tears of dust' is available in the MAPh shop via the link in our bio, where you can also find a link to purchase tickets for the Ideas Summit.

JANET LAURENCE x PHOTO 2024 Ideas Summit

JANET LAURENCE x PHOTO 2024 Ideas Summit

Janet Laurence is speaking in Melbourne at the PHOTO 2024 Ideas Summit. Her session is titled, 'Photography as Activism'.

Get tickets for this world first global forum, explore the future of photography.

Tickets are on sale now. Head to the offical PHOTO 2024 website for more details.

15 March
The Edge, Fed Square

Other speakers include:
Ryan McGinley (US)
Sunil Gupta (CA/UK)
Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis (Pitta Pitta)
Carmen Winant (US)
Boris Eldagsen (DE)
Sophia (SA)
Serwah Attafuah (AU, Ashanti/Akan)
Michael Najjar (DE)
Mark Andrejevic (AU)
Jo Duck (AU)
filip custic (ES/HR)
Kirsten Lyttle (Māori)
Janet Laurence (AU)
Isadora Romero (EC)
Daniel Jack Lyons (US)
Katrina Sluis (AU/UK)
Lauren Dunn (AU)
Dr Kirsten Garner Lyttle (Māori)

JANET LAURENCE solo exhibition 'Tears of Dust' opens at the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh)

Janet Laurence’s immersive, multisensory installation Tears of dust reflects upon the fragility and power of the natural environment. Her intensely seductive and yet haunting evocations of the natural environment create encounters with our changing planet.

In this world premiere show, these wunderkammers (cabinets of curiosity) provide windows into our fragile ecosystem—of breathing forests, extreme weather events and dying glaciers—and offer a sense of connection with, and mourning of, our vanishing life world.

When encountering these familiar and yet otherworldly environments, we become profoundly aware of the interconnection of all life forms and the alchemical wonder of plants' ability to regenerate.

Janet Laurence, EDEN 11, Dye sublimation Photographs printed silk veils, video. Photo: Jackie Manning