Kaarta Koomba by Emma Itzstein
On bright and colourful canvases, Australian artist Emma Itzstein captures the longing for her Western Australian home after the hard state border line was drawn in 2020.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Anita Beaney
‘At its core I wanted the work to reflect a sense of euphoria and reunion,’ says Emma Itzstein pictured in front of Illyarrie (triptych) from her exhibition, Kaarta Koomba at The Ko gallery. Photo: Anita Beaney
‘This is the brightest and most colourful work I've done to date, I wanted that sense of saturation to reflect the intensity of the feelings I was exploring in myself,’ says Emma Itzstein. Photo: Anita Beaney
After spending four months isolating in hotels around the country, under stage four Victorian lockdown restrictions, Kaarta Koomba is an art exhibition that speaks to the longing of freedom, movement, nature, and the homes that nurture us. Geelong-based Emma Itzstein captures the relief and euphoria on her canvases after finally being able to see her family in Western Australia.
‘This body of work is about connection to home – connection to place, memories and people. Being separated from my family and displaced from my usual environment in one of the most vulnerable times of my life, on both a micro scale as a new mum and more globally in the pandemic, made me reflect so deeply on the concept of home in a way I never have before,’ says Emma.
Presented by The Ko in Newtown, Victoria, the exhibition reflects on the gardens at Kaarta Koomba in her hometown, Perth, which Emma returned to after months on the road with her newborn during the pandemic. The expressive pieces capture the optimism and unrivalled joy of coming back to family after that wearisome time.
‘As a theme of human experience, this idea of being separated from home is not new though no less painful and potent in its effect on our psyche and sense of identity,’ says Bonnie Pockley, writer of the exhibition’s catalogue essay. ‘A rich tapestry woven of people, place and memory, ‘home’ becomes a construct of the familiar — where our everyday experience provides a feeling of security and predictability that is fundamental to our concept of identity and sense of belonging.’
Detail from Illyarrie (triptych) by Emma Itzstein. Photo: Anita Beaney
‘It's less about where you're based geographically, but more about the freedom to return or reunite somewhere that holds so many memories and people that you love,’ says Emma Itzstein of the themes behind the works. Photo: Anita Beaney
“Like most people, I’ve had so many negative feelings in the past 18 months – but I’ve also become a mum for the first time and felt highs I’ve never reached before – I wanted the work to reflect hope, joy and celebration, despite the challenges and heartache.”
Presented by The Ko in Newtown, Victoria, the exhibition reflects on the gardens at Kaarta Koomba in Emma’s hometown.
The result depicts Perth’s most iconic garden in its luscious form, overflowing and filling with green foliage and pops of red, pink, and orange. The paintings are full of the life that was missing from Emma’s world in the lockdowns. Each brushstroke representing growth— symbolic to the artists own journey as she finally found positivity.
With a range of mixed media such as oil paint and stick, acrylic and soft pastel, the paintings ripple in thick application akin to the layers of nature. In Kangaroo Paw (2021), bright red brushstrokes adorn the foreground on the canvas while the background descends into textural greens, yellows, pinks and purples.
For the larger-than-life painting, Illyarrie (2021), Emma utilises the triptych to depict an expansive gum tree at one with the colours of the natural world. Full of active drips and raw mark-making, the painting is alive with a multitude of hues and form.
The fact that the exhibition sold out before the show’s official opening reveals the connection that Emma makes with her work. We have all faced lockdowns and, for most of us, the separation from our families. But, like the artist, we can hope for positivity. That one day these lockdowns will end, and all borders will open — at least until then, we have nature and art.
Rottnest Daisy by Emma Itzstein. Photo: Anita Beaney
‘For this body of work I've tried to free up my mark making even more. I still approach the work in layers of washes and drawn mark, however it’s even more focused on texture and the materials,’ says Emma Itzstein. Photo: Anita Beaney