Welcome!
to the Rural Room Virtual Gallery
We’re delighted to bring you an exclusive e-exhibition from the extremely talented photographer Emma Leonard. Raised on a farm at the base of the Dundas Range in Victoria, Emma developed a strong connection to the bush from an early age. It was fitting that Emma married a farmer and together they started a family on a farm of their own. Emma has a natural eye for photography and her characteristic use of light, bold experimentation with texture and striking artistic composition immediately transports you to the moment in time she expertly captures.
Given we’re currently confined to our homes, this exhibition is the perfect opportunity to escape from your room to the wide open road. Sound bites accompanying select pieces enable you to fully experience this outback adventure.
Pull on your Akubra and journey with Emma across expansive spaces into dusty, quaint places from regional Victoria to the Northern Territory!
LONE
AN E-EXHIBITION BY EMMA LEONARD
ARTIST STATEMENT
For me, this series is a nostalgic representation of the vast and remote interiors of Australia. Places and environments that demand respect, where local knowledge is still king and where you will learn more by engaging in a conversation with the friendly townspeople than by googling on your phone. Time moves slowly; the mail still takes as long as it takes to drive the kilometres and there’s limited to no service on a broad scale. That habitual sensation of instant gratification becomes insignificant allowing for you to actually (dare I say it) be present and live in the moment.
Thousands of kilometres of bitumen and gravel roads disappeared beneath our ute and not once did I tire of my surrounds or feel lonely – despite the fact that at one point we didn’t pass another vehicle for over 600 kilometres. To set up camp each night and sit with the stars, the silence and the warm air was so peaceful and immeasurably rewarding for the mind and soul. The beauty out there goes unrivalled, even in the current climate of drought, even in the searing heat and with a sprinkling of flies on top.
Key components of my work include nature’s ability to produce patterns and my interpretation of them, a distinct use of line, different textures and warmth. The images range from the context of vast landscapes, to natural surfaces to structures and buildings, and the way their form essentially mimics or blends into the surrounding environment. The addition of animals in some of my images embodies the importance of the few life-giving resources remaining in the harsh dry landscapes. And I felt it was important to represent some of the historical aspects that are dispersed across the country, a nod to our forebears; the many people who have passed before me and lived and farmed out in these remote environments.
