Aurora Arborealus

Esther Schouten’s exhibition Aurora Arborealus is named after the goddess of dawn, Aurora, combined with the word ‘Arboreal’ (meaning ‘of trees’). The title is finished with a playful homage to the artist’s Dutch linguistic heritage, where names or words frequently end with “us”. The exhibition draws upon the feelings of awe inspired by the vistas of early dawn bush-walks.

Schouten’s paintings study the soft, lucent quality of daybreak as mist veiled objects emerge as tentative shapes. Aurora Arborealus immerses the viewer in a tree-lined journey along the Birrarung (Yarra) River. The installation is a creative call for appreciation of our bushland and for environmental consciousness and conservation.