Esteemed Queensland artist at The Arts Centre Gold Coast

In February 2009 Judy Watson was appointed artist-in-residence at The University of Queensland’s Heron Island Research Station.

	heron island suite # 16 2009-10
	heron island suite # 12 2009-10

Watson’s residency coincided with the official launch of the Research Station, rebuilt after being destroyed by a devastating fire in 2007.

heron island suite is the artist’s response to the time she spent on the island, where she examined worrying signs of the impact of human activity and the onset of global warming on the Great Barrier Reef.

On her daily Island walks she would collect material for visual research, such as coral forms, seaweed, feathers, sea pods and other vegetation. The drawings she produced from this material provided the stimulus for the richly coloured series of etchings on display.

During her 12 day residency on the island, Judy Watson worked alongside scientists at the Research Station. She sought permission from several of the scientists to include statistical graphs in her work.

The graphs show how the oceans’ increased acid levels, surface temperature, El Niño and global warming is impacting on coral bleaching. heron island suite # 16 (top left) combines two graphs and two screenprints to investigate this issue both visually and statistically.

Judy Watson is an Indigenous artist whose matrilineal family is from country in North West Queensland. Her work is held in major Australian and International collections including the National Gallery of Australia and all Australian State Galleries.

Judy’s work has previously focused innovatively on her Aboriginal heritage and the Waanyi clan in North Queensland. This exhibition differs however, in that there is no record of Aboriginal habitation on Heron Island.

Instead she is interested in recording the environmental changes that are upsetting the delicate ecological balance on the island and in the waters which surround it.