Etching by Damon Kowarsky (image courtesy the artist)

The striking prints of Damon Kowarsky are currently on exhibition at Gasworks Art Park in Port Melbourne. The evocative images inspired from the artist's travels through Northern Africa strikingly capture the sense of uniqueness in the foreign landscape.

Kowarsky appears inspired by the distinctive stone and mud brick architecture while also utilizing the desert colors of the region, which he boldly captures in the series.

The exhibition extends upon a previous showing of his work in February as part of the Collie Print Trust Scholarship. It was interesting to see this series singularly as it placed the viewer in a far more specific realm. Rather then exploring the possibilities and directions of print making, this exhibition allowed one to take a particularly exotic journey into the traveler's imagination. With iconic images from the region repeated through the prints we are given a definite sense of location.

A strong awareness of narrative is also developed through the male figure which re-appears in many of the prints. His pensive gaze, which refuses to look directly at us conjures many possibilities. It playfully allows the viewer to create multiple narrative conclusions as to who the distant figure may be and how he relates to the enticing landscape.

Re-visiting while also discovering new works by Kowarsky was an intriguing experience. The foreign landscapes greatly left the desire to travel and explore the unfamiliar.

Stranger In A Strange Land is on show at Gasworks Arts Park in Port Melbourne, until 22 August 2005.