A new gallery opening in Halls Gap, in regional Victoria, this winter promises to transform our experience of the natural world through art.
The Wama Foundation has announced the launch of the National Centre for Environmental Art – Australia’s first gallery solely dedicated to artistic responses to environmental themes and set at the foothills of the Gariwerd/Grampians National Park. Once open, the gallery will form part of a larger art and ecology precinct.
The Centre’s inaugural exhibition, End & Being, features work by acclaimed Western Australian artist Jacobus Capone. Known for immersive, meditative works that trace solitary encounters with fragile landscapes, Capone’s practice spans performance, video installation, photography and painting with a focus on environmental art.
End & Being documents a physically and emotionally demanding performance by Capone above and beneath the Bossons Glacier in France – Europe’s most dynamic icefall. The work responds to the climate emergency and coincides with the United Nations’ declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Its presentation at the National Centre for Environmental Art is especially timely given the destruction of the Swiss village of Blatten earlier this week, following an Alpine glacial collapse.
UNSW Galleries Director and exhibition curator José Da Silva says the exhibition invites audiences to reflect on the emotional and spiritual dimensions of environmental loss.
“Capone’s work, with its profound sensitivity to environmental change and human vulnerability, speaks directly to [Wama’s] mission,” he says. “Like Wama, this exhibition seeks to foster a dialogue between art, humanity and the environment.”
The Centre will be part of a broader precinct that includes the Gariwerd/Grampians Endemic Botanic Garden, the Jallukar Native Grasslands and several outdoor commissions. Phase Two of the development will add sculpture trails, accessible boardwalks and nature play areas.
Read: Australia’s first environmental art gallery under construction in Halls Gap
Wama Foundation CEO Pippa Mott says the Centre aims to present a diverse program of exhibitions that interrogate, celebrate and reimagine our relationship with the natural world.
“Our take on the genre of environmental art is expansive, offering ample space for both playful exploration and deep contemplation,” she says.
Supported by the Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund and with further backing from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the National Centre for Environmental Art is poised to become a landmark attraction for both art lovers and eco-tourists.
For more information, visit the Wama Foundation website. A specific opening date for the Centre has not yet been confirmed.
