The exhibition takes visitors on a journey back to the 1840s when a young artist by the name of George French Angas captured minute details of people, plants, objects, and landscapes. First illustrating them as pencil sketches, he then worked them into fine watercolours and lithographs.

Opening to the public on Saturday 5 March this exhibition will showcase nearly 200 artworks, sketches, and books as well as items relating to Angas’ life and places he travelled too - visitors may recognise works depicting scenes from the River Murray and views over Mount Lofty.

The exhibition is in response to the accompanying book, Illustrating the Antipodes: George French Angas in Australia and New Zealand 1844-184, the culmination of South Australian Museum Senior Researcher and exhibition curator Philip Jones’ decades-long research into the life and work of Angas.

Dr Jones reflected on his long and fulfilling journey, which included the undertaking of a fellowship at the National Library of Australia, where he tirelessly researched Angas' works.

“This has been a lifelong passion of mine, working across rich collections in Adelaide and Canberra, delving into archives and family papers, and visiting sites depicted by Angas,” he said.

“A son of one of South Australia’s early European settlers, Angas was only 21 years old when he came to the Antipodes. His meticulous and sensitive portfolio transports us to the moment of his encounters with its peoples and landscapes.”

Illustrating the Antipodes will be complemented by a free accompanying exhibition, KAURNA: Still Here, which is part of the Guildhouse First Nations Collections Project.

Drawing on their Ancestors’ practices prior to European settlement and informed by material documented by George French Angas, First Nations artists Clem Newchurch and Peter Turner have created carvings, painted and woven works in this celebration of continuing culture.

Clem Newchurch and Peter Turner reflected on the process and said,

“Before this opportunity, we both had been referencing many different old paintings, from many different artists who painted works of our Old People. For us, the important thing isn't the artist's name, it is the content, which sometimes provides us a bit of insight into some of our Old People's ways of being before the full impact of European colonisation hit.”

“Our main intention when creating these works is to make items we can use. We hoped to learn how to create objects like those our Old People used for thousands of years, so we could gain some understanding of the absolute perfection in our Ancestor's skill. Skills that have often been overlooked. We hope people will be inspired by our exhibition and we hope people will share our amazement and wonder at the skill level of our Ancestors. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for our Old People,” they added.

Brian Oldman Director of the South Australian Museum said the Museum is privileged to have many examples of Angas’ work in its collection, several of which are included in this exhibition.

“These two exhibitions wonderfully complement each other to trace and depict Angas’ journey into the bush as a painter, naturalist, poet and explorer,” he said.

Illustrating the Antipodes and KAURNA: Still Here will run from 5 March – 8 May and are both FREE. For more information visit: https://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/event/illustrating-the-antipodes

Illustrating the Antipodes is presented in partnership with the National Library of Australia, and features works from national and state cultural institutions, as well as private collections and is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians.