Land, place and belonging
Scott Price is quickly gaining recognition as one of Australia’s most innovative new artists, known for his fresh take on landscape art.
The major prize winner secured $5,000 and a solo exhibition at Heritage House for his piece 'Radial Mapping of Seasonal Pool Furthest Inland Extending from Avon River to Walyunga Pool, March-April 2024' at the 2024 City of South Perth Emerging Artist Award.
Price’s work defies colonial traditions in landscape art, seeing land as both medium and collaborator. In art, the ‘medium’ refers to the materials used to create a work—paint, clay, or ink—but Price pushes beyond this.
“The paper in my work is more than just a surface. It absorbs the environment, becoming a medium itself,” he explains.
By incorporating elements like soil, water, and wind, his artwork is shaped by the landscape itself, blurring the line between material and surface.
Rather than simply capturing the landscape, Price works with it as a living, dynamic force, allowing the land to shape the narrative.
“I’m challenging the approach to landscape associated with colonial practices. I don’t want to depict the land as something to be tamed or controlled,” he says.
His aim is not to impose a human-centric story but to collaborate with nature, letting the land speak for itself through his art.
At the heart of Price’s practice is a keen awareness of the environmental impact of his work.
“I’m part of the environment as I’m working in it. I’m not trying to separate myself,” he reflects.
While his methods aim to minimise harm, he acknowledges that every interaction leaves an imprint, an inevitable consequence of human engagement with nature. This understanding is integral to his creative process.
Looking ahead to his solo exhibition, Price hopes his art will prompt viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the non-human world, though he remains cautious about art’s ability to drive change.
“I hope it does help people have a more meaningful relationship with the environment, but I’m skeptical that a single piece of art can actually effect change in that way,” he admits.
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