Historical information
The 'Black Saturday' bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009. It was Australia's worst ever natural disaster. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire-weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire: 173 people died and 414 were injured as a result of the fires.
Significance
This work is by a local contemporary artist with a national and international reputation for figurative and portrait works. The 'Black Saturday' series is a powerful investigation of emotion and grief as experienced by many Nillumbik residents during the 2009 'Black Saturday' bushfires. A cluster of bronze figurines either stand alone or embrace in groups. Their expressions and gestures of despair are made more pertinent with the raw like application and surface treatment of the material used. The 'Black Saturday' series is a challenging work, but one that encourages healing, connection and empathy.
Physical description
Two men embrace in despair. One man throws his arms around the other man's shoulders. The other man holds the other's back. Surface treatment is textured. Dark metallic brown colour with figures starting to turn a green patina.
Inscriptions & markings
Note stuck with tape underside of sculpture 'Savage Art Prize Peter Wegner (phone number) The Embrace 2011'
References
- Peter Wegner Artist website
- Australian Galleries Gallery representative
