Cressida Campbell

Waterways
Room 6

'The main thing is that you don't want to keep on repeating yourself. You really do want to try and keep exploring.'

—Cressida Campbell

Campbell has often lived near the ocean. After growing up in the Sydney suburb of Greenwich on Cammeraygal Country, where industry overlaps with bushland, she has found Sydney Harbour a recurring source of inspiration. Her approach acknowledges the beauty found on and around the waterfront.

Influenced by early engravings of the British penal colony at Port Jackson, Campbell’s triptychs offer panoramic view of familiar landmarks around Warrang on Gadigal Country: from Jørn Utzon’s Opera House to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or the quieter vista from nearby Observatory Hill that surveys the terrace rooftops of The Rocks and the working harbour beyond.

Campbell’s images of water also reflect its powerful capacity for connection and solace, whether observed in a tranquil pool in Siem Riep, Cambodia, or the long view across Mulubinba/Newcastle on Awabakal and Worimi Country.

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