Coolamon Exhibition To Raise Funds For Big Scrub

Coolamon Exhibition To Raise Funds For Big Scrub 

An exhibition of paintings opening at Lone Goat Gallery on Friday night will shine a light on an iconic local tree, the Coolamon, and raise funds and awareness for the species recovery.

The Coolamon (Syzygium Moorei) is endemic to a very small region from Mudgeerabato the Richmond River. As such it really could be described as “Byron’s Tree”. However very few locals would be aware that the tree is listed as vulnerable under the federal EPBC act.

Local artist Dean Power has created a body of work in reverence to the tree and its feminine presence in Byron landscape.

The exhibition invites viewers to consider the influence the landscape and the tree has for those visiting or living the Byron Bay region. “We as humans tend to try to separate ourselves from nature, to see ourselves as something different. Living in this powerful landscape comes with its own challenges and it’s entirely possible the Coolamon has some hints about how to live here elegantly”, says the artist.

Dean Power has donated a painting to Big Scrub Landcare, to be auctioned on opening night by David Mills of McGrath Estate Agents, with all proceeds going to the Landcare group. The exhibition will be officially opened by Byron Bay Film Festival Director J'aimee Skippon-Volke.  

SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST DAVID HANCOCK
David Hancock is well known around Byron for his breathtaking photography of people and place. He may be best known for his Wild Byron coffee table book and his dapper style. It turns out David shares with Dean an enduring passion for the Coolamon and as such he presents two prints of a Coolamon flowering, also to be auctioned for the benefit of Big Scrub.

The exhibition opens on Friday 05 October at 6pm to 8pm and runs until 31 October.