13 June – 29 June 2024
about the exhibition
Nicola Dickson is a Canberra-based artist known for her alluring paintings that draw inspiration from history and, in particular, European sea voyages and expeditions during the 18th and 19th centuries. For this exhibition, Nicola was inspired by the collection of engravings made to document the French scientific voyage commanded by Louis de Freycinet from 1817 – 1820. The locations visited included Australia, South America, Papua New Guinea, Timor, the Philippines, The Mariana and Hawaiian Islands. On the return leg of the voyage, their ship the Uranie was wrecked on the shores of the Falkland Islands. A replacement vessel was obtained and Freycinet successfully returned to France with an extensive collection of specimens, notes and drawings – these in turn were published under his supervision. Nicola writes, “I have had the pleasure of looking at this publication which is included in the collection of the National Library of Australia…These fascinating images convey information about the housing, dress, pastimes and cultural practices of the many different people they met as well as the surrounding landscape. The images reveal the voyagers’ deep curiosity and respect for the natural world and peoples they encountered, who in turn engaged openly.” Nicola responds to the archival images through beautifully rendered paintings that capture her thoughtful impressions from a contemporary viewpoint. She combines details from some of the historical images of birds, plants and localities, utilising axes of symmetry to create reimagined botanical forms. Patterns merge in the background of Nicola’s paintings; some inspired by imagery produced by Pacific Islander peoples and others derived from contemporary fabrics. It is through this weaving together of science, history and imagination that Nicola conveys her own wonder at these past encounters, drawing us into moments past that resonate with us in the present.
Nicola Dickson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the School of Art at the Australian National University in 2003 before undertaking a PhD which she completed in 2010. She has exhibited widely since graduating and has held over twenty solo exhibitions nationally including a regional show at Wagga Wagga Art Gallery in 2023. Nicola was a finalist in the 2013 Sulman Prize and, in 2024, was a finalist in the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize. Nicola’s work was included in the National Portrait Gallery exhibition ‘So Fine: Contemporary women artists make Australian history’ in 2018 and is represented in the collections of the Canberra Museum & Gallery, Parliament House and the ACT Legislative Assembly. Nicola Dickson has undertaken several residencies including an artist residency in Mildura in 2021 and Rhode Island in 2019.
