Last week we were treated to the opening of Camille Serisier’s The Wonderful Land of Oz at the Spiro Grace Art Rooms Gallery (SGAR) in Brisbane. The show is comprised of printed scenes from its accompanying video that Ms Serisier created, combining iconic symbols of Australia (Oz) into a fantastical fable-like film, to challenge (or celebrate?) the cliches of her Australia identity. The sets and costumes were hand-drawn and colored using a pastel palette.
The story was a playful take on explorers’ attempts to dominate distant lands, only to be foiled in the final act. We were charmed by the high-school-play production value with the simple sets and adult actors dressed as animals. Even the special effects, such as the koala bear crying (below) were sweet.
My favorite was the swimming shark/dolphin, above. If you’re in the Brisbane area, the exhibit is showing through November 29, 2014. See more of the artist’s work here.