PROMETHEUS

As fires, storms and Covid 19 hit the Aussie shores in the past year, the familiar of everyday life was visited by the unfamiliar and questions regarding the human condition towards nature were discovered. Relating the layers of life not only through paint but through familiar scenes that uncover the 'unfamiliar' underneath, once you relate the experience of life in the works and tell a story of what is behind. Things are not always what they seem. For a smile may hide a pain, as a sea may hide a storm beneath its waves.

In remembering my childhood experiences and relating them to the everyday life I began to remember when I started drawing horses at the age of ten, due to my affinity towards them. I would not draw anything else for a few years. This brought me to the investigation of Prometheus, through my research due to the human condition of property and how our modern society is working against nature, hence Prometheus is revisited in a whole new light.

'The problem with Prometheus' (also the name of my second painting, after ‘The grey divide of the Brumby’) is an investigation on the human condition regarding his mismanagement of nature which is against nature itself, resulting in catastrophic environmental factors and resulting in cruelty towards sentient beings such as Brumbies. Horses belong to the environment and the only thing destroying nature is 'The Human Condition'.

‘The grey divide of the Brumby’ brought this to the forefront as Australia’s unique flora and fauna is used as an argument by the Australian government as brumbies are related as not native to Australia and thus considered not wild horses but feral and in need of eradication, to’ save’ Australia’s natural environment, hence relating the grey divide. The Problem is really related to the ‘Prometheus’ idea as our modern society has caused such problems in relation to wildlife, due to our urbanisation and over population of the world and industrialisation. Thus ‘The grey divide of the brumby’ relates the division between pro brumby groups and environmental groups.

The grey divide also relates the past of the everyday life as fires hit the Aussie shores and after that the brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park in NSW where being trapped. So not only had they suffered and survived a natural devastation but now, had to contend with their eradication from the wild.

Prometheus is to bring to light the plight of all Brumbies in Australia and all wild Equine animal that has been culled and or trapped dividing herds or mobs of brumbies as we call them, resulting in the break-up of equine families, that are trapped then rehomed or slaughtered in knackeries if not rehomed or otherwise air culled or ground shot. In Australia, they are blamed for damaging the environment as Brumbies are not native to their birth land. They were brought here by colonisation in 1778.

‘Prometheus’ has also now become an entity of its own as I recently became a brumby advocate due to this research and have become a moderator for a fb group called NSW Brumbies.com and NSW brumbies fb group. I also run a blog also called freethebrumbies.blogspot.com. This began to give brumbies a voice and make us aware of our modern condition, that is working against nature. Brumbies need to be recognised as sentient beings and be deemed as an Australian Animal, as we Humans can call ourselves Australian. With a voice, eventually Brumbies can be free of culling and trapping and roam free as they should in their place, called nature.

The blog has memorabilia to aid pro brumby groups that rehome brumbies and fight for their rights in legislative law, as well as protest posters to voice the injustice caused due to our human condition and other stories that related more research, targeting the understanding of horses themselves and their environment, as well as arguments relating to the human condition. Prometheus will eventually continue in future as the title of my next exhibition.

As this has now become part of my practice and works this post is affectively for all works that I will donate for raffles and auctions to aid the brumby plight.

VISIT freethebrumbies.blogspot.com

THE BARMAH DONATIONS

SKETCHES DONATED FOR RAFFLES OR AUCTION
TO BARMAH BRUMBY PRESERVATION GROUP February 2021