Artists’ contemporary take on 250-year-old botanical records comes to the Gympie Regional Gallery

‘Artistic Endeavour’, which is set to go on display at the Gympie Regional Gallery from Friday 7 October to Saturday 26 November, is an exhibition that highlights the contribution that the scientists and artists on the HMB Endeavour’s voyage to Australian shores made to documenting Australia’s biodiversity.

Scientists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, together with illustrator Sydney Parkinson, collected over 1,000 species of plants and animals during their 70-day journey along the east coast of Australia.

The Botanical Artists’ Society of Queensland (BASQ) has responded to this historical voyage by developing an exhibition of contemporary botanical portraits based on the plants collected in 1770 by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander along with the scientific illustrations by Sydney Parkinson.

Exhibition Co-Curator Beth Jackson says Artistic Endeavour provides a rich historical context while also being a contemporary snapshot of Australia’s precious native flora. 

“The artists featured in the exhibition draw you into the fascinating micro-worlds of plants through their artworks – they depict both the intricate beauty and express an implicit ongoing need for knowledge, care and preservation,” Jackson said. 

“Plant portraits in the exhibition range from iconic Australian species such as banksias and eucalypts, grevilleas and acacias (wattles), to the lesser-known and smaller-scale jewels and curiosities of our landscape such as a native violet and a carnivorous rainbow plant – the exhibition is testimony to Australia's unique and startling biodiversity.

“Visitors will recognise plants that flourish in our region’s diverse environments in the exhibition and I hope that budding botanical artists will be inspired to get out into our gardens, bushlands and reserves to create their own unique plant portraits,” she said. 

The Gympie Regional Gallery will be hosting an official exhibition opening event on Saturday 15 October at 1pm. This free event includes a talk with Co-Curator Beth Jackson and a native flora talk by local First Nations’ Elder, Nai Nai Bird. 

Refreshments will be served during the event.

The Gympie Regional Gallery is Open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm and is located at 39 Nash Street, Gympie.

For more information visit https://www.gympie.qld.gov.au/recreation-tourism/art-culture/gympie-regional-gallery

Artistic Endeavour is an initiative of the Botanical Artists’ Society of Queensland in partnership with Museums & Galleries Queensland. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program; the Queensland Government through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments; and the Regional Arts Development Fund, a partnership between the Queensland Government and Moreton Bay Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland. Proudly supported by Moreton Bay Regional Council and sponsored by IAS Fine Art Logistics and Winsor & Newton.