Wona Bae and Charlie Lawler
deep time
18 May - 22 June 2024

Wona Bae and Charlie Lawler’s work explores points where climate patterns and systems of the natural world impact on human life. Traversing past, present, and future environmental influences, these natural systems which have slowly adapted over vast periods of time, stand in stark contrast to the ongoing human-induced climate emergency and the effects of decades of stalled action on climate change.

In Deep Time the pair have created a new series of sculptures based on 3D scans that trace the undulating marks of erosion along the Australian coast. Drawn to the figurative forms forged in coastal sedimentary sandstone, the structures tell the story of water and wind, shaped by millennia of gradual erosion and movement, epitomising the unending cycle of nature.

The forms are sculpted in timber using 5 axis machining, the technical precision of the machines used are able to mimic but not accurately translate the intricate textures and detail of the original forms. These losses of information speak to the limitations of our understanding of the systems that form and cover the natural world. The resulting timber forms are then hand sculpted and sealed by a process of charring, a traditional method of preservation. This method also extends the pair's research into charcoal, exploring its healing qualities as well as its association with disaster and renewal in ecosystems.

The sculpted forms adopt a Rorschach-like motif, contemplating the bias and level of human interpretation when considering the importance of our relationships with the natural world. Reflecting on a reality where environmental preservation is linked inexplicably to human made systems that have little to no regard for the natural cycles in the world.

In Deep Time Bae and Lawler explore their joint experience of time, place and cultural relationships with the environment. Bae draws on her Korean family’s traditional belief in spirits that inhabit natural objects such as mountains, rivers, trees, and rocks, as well as ancestral spirits and spirits of the deceased. There is a strong emphasis on maintaining harmony with nature and the spirit world, as well as respecting the wisdom and guidance of ancestors.

Meanwhile, Lawler approaches their practice through a scientific data-driven lens, employing data visualisations and technology to understand the human-nature relationship. This approach focuses on the finding correlations between different natural phenomena and how this information might inform their experimentation and artistic expression.

Presented as part of Melbourne Design Week 2024

Wona Bae (South Korea) and Charlie Lawler (Australia) are collaborative artists based in Australia, known internationally for their installations and sculpture that navigate visceral and symbiotic human relationships with nature. Their multifarious practice includes sculpture, painting, relief, sound, photography, and video. Drawing on patterns and systems from the world around them, their unique immersive installations experiment with materiality and technology, tapping into the primitive need to find connection with the natural world.

Bae and Lawler have held solo exhibitions at Passage Gallery Sydney (2023), Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale (2023), Daine Singer (2023), Gujung Art Center at Onyang Folk Museum, South Korea (2022), Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne (2019/20); Backwoods Gallery, Melbourne (2022 and 2019); See You Soon Gallery, Tokyo (2017); and Koskela Gallery, Sydney (2016). Bae and Lawler are 2024 recipients of the North Sydney Art Prize.