“Where beauty from the Air Meets Ugly Truths on the Ground”

WaterMarks is a series of innovative drone photographs by Southern Highlands artist Paul Harmon. Shot in Western NSW along the Murray-Darling Basin, the series examines the tension that exists when a stark beauty from the air meets ugly truths on the ground of stolen lands, stolen water, inappropriate land use and environmental degradation.

Made with the support of the First Nations over whose country he shot, WaterMarks documents this visually stunning but drought-prone land that has supported human occupation for over 65,000 years. Harmon encourages audiences to consider these works alongside current debates and discussion around the preciousness of and expanding demand for water, the cultural significance of country and the declining health of Australia’s river systems and land.

WaterMarks is exhibited with the support of Barkandji, Ngemba, Euahlayi and Wayilwan Indigenous elders over whose country these images were shot.

Image credit: Paul Harmon, Barkndji Country 2 (detail)