New faces at The Hive

Hosting a group exhibition as broad as ‘FLOW – stories from the wetlands’ has given The Hive gallery in Ocean Grove another chance to grow and welcome many new creative faces for the month of June.

“We are exploring new mediums such as textiles in art and photography which is very exciting as a gallery,” Curator Karen Spreadborough said.

“It allows us to grow but also keep it fresh and expand what is on offer to all our many wonderful supporters, while still featuring a cohort of the familiar established artists.’

Those new faces include Róża Marciniak of Geelong Photography and Breamlea resident, as are so many of the Breamlea locals, she’s passionate about the environment around her.

“We have a strong community group that advises on indigenous plantings and weeding in the area,” she said.

“They get together for working bees regularly to protect this tiny town surrounded by wetlands that are so crucial to migratory wader birds.”

Travelling from the Artic to Australia, some of these birds fly up to 13,000 kilometres to feed in the area’s waters, marshes and mudflats.

“In my Karaaf Wetland’s series of aerial, spatial abstract photography I was overawed to see things as the birds do, but from a helicopter

hundreds of metres above the ground and capture this in my work,” Ms Marciniak said.

“There is a wonder to it all, I am delighted to showcase both these and more detailed, realist ground level images to hopefully open everyone’s eyes to the beauty and value of what is right on our doorstep and needing our care.”

FLOW – stories from the wetlands is on at The Hive Gallery, 41 Smithton Grove, Ocean Grove throughout June and will be opened by Richard Weatherly at 2pm on June 1.

For more information, head to thehiveoceangrove.com.au