GALLERY 3
THE SNOWY RIVER FROM THE MAN
JONAS ROPPONEN
In The Snowy River from the Man, Jonas Ropponen reflects on his family’s immigration experience. The family left snow-covered Sweden and arrived permanently in Australia a few days before the great dust storm that engulfed Melbourne in the summer of 1983 and the subsequent fright of Ash Wednesday. The family’s relationship to the new country was heavily influenced by a romantic notion of the Australian bush, as depicted in the film, The Man From Snowy River, viewed on the plane during the move. Spearheading the enthusiasm for the new country was Jonas’ akubra donning Finnish father, who would clear out his work truck of timber and tools and take his son camping to secluded spots in the Victorian alpine regions. This show of woodcuts with carved wooden frames and sculptural assemblages is an homage to his now deceased father.
