By Miriam Williamson
Janet Laurence 'After Eden' 2012, installation view, commissioned by Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, image courtesy of Jamie North
Review of After Eden an installation by Australian artist Janet Laurence commissioned by the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (SCAF), Goodhope Street Paddington 16 March – 19 May 2012.
“Perhaps I can only show a pathos and expose a tenderness”
- Janet Laurence 2012
Kate Finn
Chinese translation here
Museum of Sydney
29 pillars made from wood, sandstone or steel symbolise the 29 Aboriginal clans who once inhabited the area surrounding the first Government House. With an inspiring quote from the historian Rhys Jones to guide them, describing the ‘first meeting’ as the Aboriginal people hid within the edge of trees, Foley and Laurence have created a site-specific public sculpture for all Australians. The work integrates the concerns of Sydney’s Aboriginal people, their life and culture, the people of the First Fleet and the rich and varied flora of the city, which is, juxtaposed against Sydney’s skyscrapers. The site, which once symbolised cultural destruction, is now welcoming and comfortable and was seen by many as a step towards reconciliation.