The Substation/ Artist/Aidan Hartshorn/
Aidan Hartshorn is Walgalu (Wolgalu/Wolgal) and Wiradjuri man whose traditional lands reside in the High Country of the Kosciusko National Park and foothills of the Snowy Mountains as well as the Riverina region of NSW.
Through his practice, Hartshorn examines the environmental and cultural impacts of commercial industrialisation within Australia’s high country. Through his cultural connection to Wolgal and Wiradjuri Country, his work is informed through passed down cultural making processes by his father adjacent to the ongoing disruptions of the Snowy Hydro-Electric Scheme that has submerged parts of Wolgalu Country and culturally powerful sites.
Addressing the intersections of colonisation, environmental degradation, and cultural loss, the choice of industrial materials within his work closely correlate to electricity production and dam construction drawing these intersections together. His practice reflects on the past, loss, and resilience, while also addressing what remains, forming a dialogue of cultural continuation within the present.
