Contemplation or confrontation? 2013

Exhibition: Saturday 23 March – Sunday 14 April
Opening: Friday 22 March, 6pm

Being is a series of environmental portraits documenting a diverse group of men and women who choose to live and work in rural North-West NSW. This is a region of unreliable rainfall and extreme temperatures. Medical services are limited and recreational opportunities scarce. However, this seemingly remote and uninviting place hints at a sense of both freedom and connectedness that people find alluring.

Being is an invitation to put judgment aside and contemplate the existence and essence of these individuals beyond the confines of the photograph. Rémond hopes this series might lead the viewer to contemplate and even question their own sense of being: Who are we?  What is our story?  Why do we live where we live?  Why do we do what we do?  Are we fulfilling our sense of being?

Rémond lives and works in Walgett in far North-West NSW, where family, agriculture and community largely fulfil her sense of being. Photography is a creative outlet as well as a way for her to share stories and connect with people across all walks of life.

Mardi Rémond is the winner of the 2018 Outback Archies, an initiative of Outback Arts, Coonamble, NSW. Campbelltown and Coonamble share a sister-city relationship.