Invitation to Experience ‘Mangroves from the Water’ Exhibition
Discover the hidden beauty of mangroves through a 360-degree immersive film experience and art installations, part of Zahidah Zeytoun Millie’s PhD research submission. This project delves into the intersection of artistic practice and environmental advocacy.
The first part of the exhibition will be held daily at the Project Space Gallery, Deakin Waterfront Campus, from 11th to 20th September, with viewing hours from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Please refer to the poster for additional details.
The second part of the exhibition features an immersive film experience, which will be screened at the Nyaal Precinct, Waurn Ponds Deakin campus, on 19th and 20th September, with sessions from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Mangroves from the Water film was made possible with the kind support of Aubrey Comben (camera operator, editor), sound artist Hamish Dobie, and Deakin University.
To view this solo multimedia art exhibition, please visit my website: www.zahidahart.com.
Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) is excited to announce the In Love with Mangroves exhibition at the Médiathèque de Janville library in Beauce, France. The exhibition is curated by the artist Geraldine Chansard and Pauline Dupin. The exhibition is from September to December 2023.
It has taken over two centuries for non-Indigenous people to truly recognise the value of mangroves. Similarly, the aesthetic allure of mangrove forests and the appreciation of mangrove-inspired art have evolved only gradually.
Since the launch of Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) in 2013, the initiative has endeavoured to spotlight the beauty and ecological importance of mangroves through multidisciplinary art exhibitions. These exhibitions not only showcase the diverse artistry inspired by mangroves but also aim to foster global awareness and protection of these vital ecosystems. MFTW promotes art that emerges from deep ecological intimacy, encouraging artists to engage directly with mangroves—often by kayaking through them—thereby nurturing a profound and reflective connection with this unique environment.
Over the years, Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) has inspired many artists to explore the mangroves through kayaking, fostering engagement, raising awareness, and stimulating art creation from these immersive experiences. In a recent radio interview in February, artist Jacqui Dreessens shared that MFTW had introduced her to the mangroves, a previously unknown area of Geelong (The Sustainable Hour, 2023).
Now, is the time for art collectors to contribute to building a nascent mangroves art market in southern Victoria, which I believe will raise awareness of mangroves among a Victorian audience. In principle when we love a tree, nostalgic memories arise, often compelling us to collect art that represents this connection.
We are pleased to announce that gallery director Karen Spreadborough has embraced the idea of hosting and curating an exhibition focused on mangroves and wetlands at her spacious gallery, The Hive, aptly located near the Barwon River mangroves. The exhibition, Flow – Stories from the Wetlands, is featuring works from 25 artists, is currently open at The Hive Ocean Grove Gallery and will run until June 30, 2024.
For information on the Flow- Stories from the Wetlands exhibition and the Hive gallery please visit these two websites:
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is in full swing. Zahidah has been very busy entertaining the audiences with traditional storytelling, and manning the Mangroves from the Water exhibition space.
Here are a few images of the event thus far…
Zahidah mesmerizing the audience with storytelling
We are super excited to be setting up our display to promote Mangroves from the Water and its quest to highlight and protect the mangroves in the UAE and the world!
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival returns to the National Mall in Washington D.C. this summer, June 22–27 and June 30–July 4. The featured programs this year are “Earth Optimism × Folklife: Inspiring Conservation Communities” and “United Arab Emirates: Living Landscape | Living Memory.” Over two weeks, visitors can enjoy music performances, craft workshops, cooking demonstrations, hands-on activities, and more—all free, and a selection of events livestreaming worldwide. We’re excited to take part in this annual celebration of culture of, by, and for the people, and we invite you to join us in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Save the dates and learn more at festival.si.edu!
It’s with great pleasure that we are able to share these images with you from our official opening on Saturday 14 August 2021.
Thanks to the Gordon Gallery, the City of Greater Geelong, Sharjah Institute of Heritage, , the Barwon Estuary Project and Humans of Geelong for their support in realising this show.
The opening began with a Welcome to Wadawurrung Country by Elder Nikki McKenzie, supported by Norm Stanley on the didgeridoo; a ceremony we all acknowledged as befitting the themes and depth of our project and our regard for the mangrove landscape.
We were honoured that Libby Coker MP officially opened the event and we’re grateful for her important words and interest in our project.
Curator Zahidah Zeytoun Millie acknowledged the support of our partners and introduced the work of our 13 artists, all focused on raising awareness of the beauty and importance of mangroves.
To Peter Martin, thank you for presenting the opening oration so eloquently.
The afternoon gave our 50 visitors (we were restricted by Covid 19!) a fascinating range of perspectives that included a human element in addition to the multi media artwork. Choreographic artist Jacqui Dreessens performed a sensorial interpretation of mangroves in dance with video, and Richard Collopy presented a passionate talk on a traditional owner’s perspective of mangroves. Viewers were enthralled by the depth of thought and detail presented in the multi media Mangroves from the Art exhibition.
We are very grateful to everyone who came out to support us, especially during this difficult time with lockdowns. We were sad to miss a few of the artists not being able to attend – some stuck locally (Nicola Cerini and Kerrie Taylor), and some abroad (Geraldine Chansard in Belgium, Stephanie Neville in the UAE and Alexis Gambis in France).
Credit for all images goes to photographer Phil Hines. Our thanks to MC Daniel Zeytoun Millie.
Libby Coker MP, Richard Collopy, Deb Taylor, Zahidah Zeytoun Millie, Helen Martin, Enrico Santucci
Curator Zahidah Zeytoun Millie and Libby Coker MP
Opening address by Rev. Peter Martin
Libby Coker MP
Libby Coker MP
Traditional Didgeridoo
Stephanie Neville
Arabic Majlis
Zahidah Zeytoun Millie
Zahidah Zeytoun Millie
Zahidah Zeytoun Millie
Richard Collopy
Richard Collopy
Richard Collopy
Richard Collopy
Zahidah Zeytoun Millie
Zahidah Zeytoun Millie
Nicola Cerini
Nicola Cerini
Zahidah Zeytoun Millie
Deb Taylor
Deb Taylor
Students of Barwon Heads Primary School
Jacqui Dreessens
Jacqui Dreessens
Jacqui Dreessens
Zahidah Zeytoun Millie
Helen Martin
Helen Martin
Kerrie Taylor
Kerrie Taylor
Curator Zahidah Zeytoun Millie, Dr Russell Kennedy, Richard Collopy
Still from movie by Geraldine Chansard and Pauline Dupin, and Kerri Taylor sculptures in foreground
The beautiful paintings of Helen Martin conveys a touching fondness for her husband by translating his deep-rooted connection to the mangroves, Her skill as a painter is evident in the atmospheric depictions of mangrove trees as seen in the images below, manifesting the vibrancy and liveliness through brush strokes and play of light.
Helen’s artist statement:
For the Mangroves from the Water Exhibition, Helen is collaborating with her husband Peter Martin, who has a deep affinity with mangroves having grown up playing and exploring them on the shore in front of his family home at Peek’s Point, East Gosford in New South Wales – on Darkinjung Country.
Her works for the exhibition draw on recent images of a small stand of white mangroves planted in the early 1960s by the five Martin boys at shoreline of Broken Bay. These young boys were motivated to plant mangrove seedlings they had found nearby in response to the degradation and destruction of the local mangroves, their playground, caused by unabashed urban development. The mangroves were seeded in the rocky foreshore among the clusters of native oysters, and over the past 50 years thrived, creating a new habitat.
Helen Martin’s paintings: ‘Mangroves at Peek’s Point, Darkinjung Country: a Martin Legacy I-V’, 2021.
I am happy to announce about the multimedia ‘Mangroves from the Water in Geelong’ exhibition to open on the Mangroves Day, 26 July, 2020 at the Gordon Gallery, Deakin University, Waterfront.
The Mangroves from the Water project members believe that through their art they can build awareness of the importance of protecting this important natural ecosystem.
Art has a power to inform any culture about ideas that matter.
The project members approach the theme with a fascinating range of media: painting, short film, textile, sculpture, performance dance, performance music and an art installation. The mangrove artists and our quest speakers will present a fascinating approach to celebrating the wonders of this unique habitat through art and science.
More information about the exhibition and artists involved to be announced by May 2020.
Do tune in to Masainakum Masoonah on 94.7FM The Pulse, where I will interview participating artists in July!
Mangroves from the Water (MFTW) 