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Art in the Outback: The Hottest Show Around

By Jan Barrie, Global Gypsies 4WD Safaris

You’re in the heart of the Australian outback. The salt lake shimmers in the heat and your eyes ache with the whiteness. The dry desert wind skips over the crusty ground while the sun blazes down relentlessly. In the distance the horizon dances in a mirage of melting blues and whites.

And then there are the figures. They stand like lonely sentinels guarding this harsh, remote and spiritual place. They represent men, women, children, black, white, old, young; real people who survive in an environment not dissimilar to this. Their angular stick-like bodies seem ancient and weathered, their race or religion inconsequential as they pose stark and motionless, standing firm and strong against the elements in their mysterious vigil.

Each seems to be on its own private mission with an individual life and a story to tell, yet they also form a cohesive group. Fifty-one abstract steel sculptures populate this desolate 7 sq km. wasteland scattered seemingly at random across the salt pan. Almost life-size, the small alien tribe fades into insignificance against the backdrop of the unforgiving landscape.

The human visitors walk amongst the metal figures, silent and pensive. They are out of their comfort zone and vulnerable in this alien pressure cooker environment. Most are urbanized and strangers to the bush, yet they’ve endured heat, flies and discomfort to visit this strange and surreal artwork.

They’ve traveled hundreds of miles to experience “Inside Australia,” the controversial artwork by internationally acclaimed sculptor, Antony Gormley. The sculptures were commissioned by the Perth International Arts Festival in 2002; today they are an icon of the outback. Situated 550 miles northeast of Perth, Western Australia, at lonely Lake Ballard, the artwork is not easy to reach, but several companies do offer tours there for the more adventurous traveler.

Australia is a vast country, almost the size of the US, and Western Australia takes up almost a third of it. There are many miles to cover each day, and when traveling in the outback, the journey is as important as the destination. Along the way, there are scenic attractions to visit and kangaroos, emus, bob-tail lizards and native birds to admire.

There is no accommodation nearby so you need to either go on an arranged tour, or take your 4WD, your tent and sleeping bag and allow the night sounds of the bush and the desert breeze to lull you to sleep – overhead the stars stretch forever in nature’s greatest display. Temperatures during the day may soar but night temperatures are usually cool to downright chilly. Out here there are no people, no mod-cons, and no mobile phones.

But this adds to the beauty and to the overall outback experience. When looking at these stark and lonely figures in the middle of nowhere, the overwhelming impression is that of resilience. The resilience of the people who live in this harsh outback environment, the resilience of the human spirit which bends but doesn’t break under trying conditions, and the resilience of the art lovers who must travel so far to see this eccentric and unforgettable artwork.