Sascha Tillsley

Local Contemporary Art Prize 2025 – Finalist

Image courtesy of the artist. Photo by Christine Hall, Myphotomotion.

Sascha Tillsley | Guardians | 2025 | pigment liner on Fabriano paper | 77.5 x 94.5cm (framed)

Guardians is my interpretation of being immersed in Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. This special place is an ecological remnant which once was part of a vast subtropical rainforest. Here, the mountain forest pulsates with life and deep, still silence. I feel-walk through the dense and complex layers of forest forms, observing the light, listening to bird calls, guarded by Cedar and Ficus. The canopy of millions of leaves, interwoven undergrowth, the twisting roots and vines, and the embrace of the strangler fig embody unseen forces that shape the natural world. I feel as though I’m in a timeless space, a primordial landscape of an ancient place which connects me to the source of Life.