Exhibition: Jeannie Baker - Desert Jungle
'Desert Jungle' is a stunning exhibition of the lauded artist and children's author Jeannie Baker's original artworks, showcasing her spectacular illustrations and signature collage works.
These vibrant and visually distinct collage works explore the complex biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert. Over one third of the Australian landscape is classified as desert, and yet for most settler Australians, the desert remains a barren space. In this new story, Baker explores the Valley of the Cirios in Mexico, through the perspective of a young child and his grandfather.
In parts of the Valley, towering stands of Cardon Cactus – some of the largest cacti on Earth – and Elephant Trees, mix with Cirios and other unique desert plants as a ‘forest’, almost a desert jungle. These cacti and other plants form both subject and material for Jeannie, who incorporates clippings from plants in her intricate and stunning works.
"This work developed from the concern that few children today grow up incorporating nature into their sense of 'home', Baker explained. They are often unfamiliar with even the common names of the plants and animals around them. They can feel so distanced from nature, they come to fear it."
Free entry
Copies of Desert Jungle by Jeannie Baker are available for purchase for $27.99 at Newcastle City Library.
An exhibition by Penrith Regional Gallery, Home of The Lewers Bequest coproduced with Jeannie Baker.
