Steven Giese

Steven Giese

The conversation at Bosche’s Waterhole 2021
linocut; A/P
Courtesy of the artist

Artist statement:

This print is a call for us to connect with the ecological soul of our country.

Bosche’s Waterhole is a biodiverse area of wetland in Yurigir National Park in northern New South Wales. It teems with animals, and native flora including Boronia, Banksia and Coastal Angophoras.

The protagonist touches a tree that connects them to the greater ecosystem, an admission to the complex web of biodiversity. The image also acknowledges an atavistic presence in the land of the Yaegel people and my own ancestors. It’s a Whitefella’s acknowledgement of Country in relief print. My father chose Bosche’s Waterhole as the final resting place for his ashes so I visit regularly and talk to him.

This print has an unbroken edge and shares qualities of the rubber stamps of my childhood. It is a single assertive mark from an accumulation of many
hours cutting.