Art expo promises to get ‘Loud’ at Cleland
It won’t just be the squawks of the resident birdlife making a racket at Cleland Wildlife Park over the next few months.
Loud@Cleland, a solo art exhibition from emerging Australian artist Tim Merel, commenced today and will be on display for the next six months.
The exhibition will feature more than 20 of Tim’s recent works and is on display in the Cleland gift shop.
Tim said Cleland was the ideal place for the exhibition as his artwork is inspired by Australian wildlife.
“I’m always aiming to achieve wildlife portraits beyond simple representation. I call the works lightcuts - like woodcuts made with light - using my own original practice. My medium is fine art pigment on giclée metallic paper,” Mr Merel said.
“I like the work being loud without forcing any preconceived messages. That goes for both composition and colour. As the artwork seems to be a mirror for the viewer – different folks take different meaning from the same work – my hope is that it helps people think about wildlife in a personal way.
“What I’ve discovered is that the strong images and colours speak to a broad range of people. Little kids, tradies, Silicon Valley engineers and Italian billionaires all seem to get it. Not something I expected.”
Cleland Wildlife Park has been a major attraction in South Australia since 1967, with approximately 130,000 visitors in 2023 and winning multiple tourism awards.
As part of the Department for Environment and Water’s strategy for a sustainable environment, Cleland plays a key role in connecting visitors with Australian wildlife.
Cleland Wildlife Park Acting General Manager Corinne Somers said the park provides an immersive nature experience, enabling visitors to engage and learn about South Australia’s iconic animals in their natural habitat as they learn more about conservation.
“Engagement with native and endangered SA animals remains our number one priority, managed by Cleland’s passionate and experienced keepers,” Ms Somers said.
“Our aim with Tim Merel’s Loud@Cleland exhibition is to offer a new perspective on Australian wildlife.
“If we can see ourselves in their eyes, our hope is that this encourages visitors to focus their minds on the conservation of these extraordinary animals that we all love so much.”
All Tim’s exhibited works are viewable at www.timmerel.com
