Artist Jenny Kitchener at her home in Afterlee. Photo: Jodie Harris from PhotosbyJodie
Susanna Freymark
The question – can you imagine a world without seeds? inspired Afterlee artist Jenny Kitchener’s latest solo exhibition.
Jenny’s new exhibition Seed highlights the important role bees, birds and other pollinating insects play in seed production.
Jenny and her husband came from Sydney 40 years ago and have since lived on their Afterlee property where nature abounds.
“If you sit quietly, you can hear the buzzing of the insects,” Jenny said.
“I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil.”
She went to art school in Sydney and studied print making and even though she has a Masters, she is still not quite comfortable calling herself an artist.
“I’ve always been reticent to call myself an artist. It is a lofty title.”
Now after 15 solo exhibitions and many other collaborative shows, she said “I feel I’ve earned the title of artist now”.
Her artworks are always beautiful and Seed features nature and bees and birds.
Yet each print has hidden details and metaphors pertaining to the modern world.
Look closely and you might see a pair of scissors, a USB stick or a bar code.
The symbol for covid features above a bird’s head on one of the prints.
“People might look at the print in 10 years and say – that’s when covid was around.”
Seed is on exhibition at the Lismore Regional Art Gallery until November 28. The gallery is open 10am-4pm every Tuesday to Sunday, with late closing on Thursdays at 6pm.
