When making her animation, which has become a winner in the Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize Film & Video category, artist Joanna Gambotto was thinking about our planet as a masterpiece. ‘One living organism’ which she hoped people might stop to consider when viewing her film.Joanna hoped her string of images, stitched together on the small screen, might help people glimpse the ‘intricacy and complexity of life on earth’ - making them stop and think about how ‘in doing harm to the planet, they are really doing harm to themselves’.
“The main message is that everything is intrinsically connected and that we should look after each other and show a sense of gratitude for our life on earth,” says the Avalon Beach artist. Joanna Gambotto developed her idea for the work over a year ago, to express her feelings about the destruction of the natural environment.
She is just one of 212 finalists from across Australia who have work in the exhibition. Each art and design piece expresses themes of care and concern for life-changing climate events, and steady environmental degradation affecting rivers, oceans, and the fertility of the earth. Developing the concept over many months, Joanna presented it for the EADP Prize in May during the Prize’s call-out phase and became a winner in August. “It really evolved over a period of time. As you experience life you cannot help but notice the impact of humans on our environment… we all have a voice and after a while, you can’t stay silent. You feel a need to say something,” says Gambotto, talking, in a rapid-fire way about her passion for creating this thought-provoking work.
For those who have not yet seen the beautifully curated exhibition displayed at the Northern Beaches three art spaces until 28 August, Joanna Gambotto’s winning artwork is called Common Thread, and it can be seen at Manly Art Gallery & Museum. As well as the 3-minute stop animation video set to a soundtrack comprised of a heartbeat, the original square-format drawings are mounted in cubes stacked on top of each other in four DNA double helix shaped sculptures.
Joanna Gambotto, a graduate of National Art School, who has exhibited widely and done several residencies, expresses herself through painting and drawing. But when asked what has prompted a film entry to the Prize, she is aghast at the idea of confining herself to just one medium for self-expression. “These days we have so many resources at our disposal – I think it’s important to find a different way to tell a story.” Describing her artwork in her own words, Gambotto said: “There is a common thread that runs through all life on our planet. Its origins date back to the beginning of time, assembled over millennia from elements forged in the furnaces of stars - a DNA molecule.The similarities in DNA across all species speak of our common ancestry and reveal the oneness of the universe and equality of all species, all playing a crucial role in the cosmic clockwork.”
Don’t miss this work and the highly varied artworks expressed by all finalists across 9 categories in this year’s Environmental Art & Design Prize. View Ceramics & small sculpture; Film & video; Interdisciplinary collaboration; Wearable design and Works on paper & photography at Manly Art Gallery and Museum. Enjoy children’s art entries 7 -12 and 13 - 18 years at the Curl Curl Creative Space and peruse Painting & mixed media and Functional design at Mona Vale Pop Up Gallery.
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