With moth
10 April - 31 May 2025
Exhibition | With moth
Artist | Sue Peachey
Sue Peachey’s With moth was developed following her selection as the winner of the ACT Historic Places Art Prize – Craft + Design Award 2023. This prize, proudly supported by Craft + Design Canberra, is part of our ongoing partnership with ACT Historic Places, fostering artistic engagement with Canberra’s cultural and natural heritage. As part of her award, Sue was invited to present this solo exhibition in our gallery, further developing her lines of enquiry.
Exhibition Statement
Sue Peachey continues her inquiry into humanity’s relationship with the natural world. This body of work returns to the collection of Canberra’s historic Lanyon Homestead. It pairs utilitarian objects observed in the outbuildings of the homestead with endemic moth species. This pairing acknowledges the physical labour undertaken by workers and investigates the effect of the colonial endeavour on the natural environment. Referencing Victorian sensibilities, the themes of cheap labour, the extraction of resources, industrialisation, the introduction of pest species, and the importation of goods, values and religion are explored.
Artist Bio
Sue Peachey is a ceramic artist working on Ngunnawal country. She hand builds using porcelain and earthenware clay. Appreciation for all that sustains us on planet Earth and her love of the natural world are recurrent themes in the ceramics she creates. Sue was awarded the ACT Historic Places Art Prize – Craft + Design Award 2023. Based in Canberra, she is originally from New Zealand and brings a background in landscape design, permaculture and poetry to the work. Her studio, River’s Edge Ceramics, is located at the Canberra Potters Society.