WHEN local artist Kim McDonald heads down to the beach, she’s stepping into her studio, a vast, breathing, ever-changing space that feeds her imagination.
Her niece, Jasmine Susic, does the same. A dancer and choreographer, she moves with the rhythm of the waves, feeling for the pulse beneath the surface.
Together, the pair have created Kelp and the Sentient Sea, on exhibition at Berninneit Art Gallery until October 26. A multi-sensory dive into the ocean’s living force, it combines printmaking, dance, film and installation in an exploration of the mysterious relationship between humans and the sea.
Her niece, Jasmine Susic, does the same. A dancer and choreographer, she moves with the rhythm of the waves, feeling for the pulse beneath the surface.
Together, the pair have created Kelp and the Sentient Sea, on exhibition at Berninneit Art Gallery until October 26. A multi-sensory dive into the ocean’s living force, it combines printmaking, dance, film and installation in an exploration of the mysterious relationship between humans and the sea.
The result is both meditative and energising, a work that seems to breathe, sway and shimmer like the kelp forests that inspired it.
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“The aim is to create an immersive, inclusive sensory space that heightens ocean awareness within the Bass Coast community,” Jasmine says. “We want to share our interpretation of the mystery and wonder of our coexistence with the kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef.”
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Kelp and the Sentient Sea Artists: Kim McDonald, Jasmine Susic Venue: Berninneit Art Gallery Dates: Open daily until 26 October Performance & Artist Talk: Saturday 25 October, 2-4pm |
The project began as a conversation between aunt and niece and evolved into a richly layered collaboration. “We love the beauty of the Bunurong and Gunai Kurnai oceans and the coastlines that we live near,” Jasmine says. “We walk on their shores and immerse ourselves in the oceanic environment on a daily basis. This is what inspires our art practice.”
“Printmaking becomes performance and performance becomes printed marks made on surfaces,” says Jasmine. “Our disciplines cross over, intersect and overlap, not unlike the forces of oceanic environments and their elements.”
Kim, who grew up in Leongatha and has exhibited widely across Gippsland and Melbourne, brings decades of experience as a printmaker and visual artist. Her work is represented in private and public collections, including the Clemenger Collection and Latrobe Regional Gallery. A three-time winner of The Great Southern Portrait Prize, her most recent solo exhibition Spectral Sea was shown at the Latrobe Regional Gallery in 2023.
Jasmine is a graduate of the VCA Secondary School and the New Zealand School of Dance whose work bridges dance, installation and film.
Between them, they’ve created an exhibition that blurs the boundaries between art forms and between human and environment.
Visitors to Kelp and the Sentient Sea will encounter large-scale monoprints and sculptural forms by Kim, interwoven with moving images and soundscapes of Jasmine’s underwater and coastal performances.
“Printmaking becomes performance and performance becomes printed marks made on surfaces,” says Jasmine. “Our disciplines cross over, intersect and overlap, not unlike the forces of oceanic environments and their elements.”
Kim, who grew up in Leongatha and has exhibited widely across Gippsland and Melbourne, brings decades of experience as a printmaker and visual artist. Her work is represented in private and public collections, including the Clemenger Collection and Latrobe Regional Gallery. A three-time winner of The Great Southern Portrait Prize, her most recent solo exhibition Spectral Sea was shown at the Latrobe Regional Gallery in 2023.
Jasmine is a graduate of the VCA Secondary School and the New Zealand School of Dance whose work bridges dance, installation and film.
Between them, they’ve created an exhibition that blurs the boundaries between art forms and between human and environment.
Visitors to Kelp and the Sentient Sea will encounter large-scale monoprints and sculptural forms by Kim, interwoven with moving images and soundscapes of Jasmine’s underwater and coastal performances.