Australien Future – tales of Migration is the result of two years’ work by artist Deb Mostert. Queensland-based Mostert connects her family’s migration story with the migrations of the natural world, drawing a parallel between human geographical instability and the fragile lives of migratory birds. The ‘tales’ – beautiful artworks in oils and watercolour – reach back into the artist’s family tree, and will resonate with many Australians whose families have come across the seas.

The paintings look back, taking as their starting point family photos of the migration journey, and also comment on the present; the question of the health of migratory bird populations as habitat diminishes and the globe wars, and political questions of the treatment of the millions of displaced people around the globe. The delicate watercolours conjure Dutch life through objects, in memory in the Netherlands, or here in a new life in Australia.

image: Facing the Future – Bartailed Godwits, oil on canvas, Deb Mostert 2018