Future Islands (Exhibition launch) – New works by Amanda Evans

Future Islands is a reflection on the fragile beauty and resilience of our ocean worlds – places where time feels both eternal and fleeting.

Inspired by my journeys to Coral Bay, Christmas Island, and the South Island of New Zealand, this body of work is shaped by encounters with vibrant coral gardens, seabirds in flight, and the shifting textures of light and water beneath the surface.

Working with acrylics, watercolour, aerosol, and Posca markers, I explore the tension between precision and abstraction – between what is seen and what is remembered. My process is one of layering and revelation: paint is applied, rubbed back, and painted over again, allowing earlier forms and colours to re-emerge as ghostly traces within the composition. In this way, each painting carries its own history – a story partially concealed, yet never entirely lost.

The title Future Islands gestures toward both hope and loss. It speaks to the urgent need to conserve the wild, untouched places that inspire us, while acknowledging the uncertain future of islands and ecosystems threatened by rising seas. Through vibrant colour, shifting perspective, and textured surface, I aim to evoke a sense of wonder – and a quiet reminder of our connection to, and responsibility for, the living oceans that sustain us all.

• 13 February – 13 March. Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm
• Exhibition Launch: February 20, 6-8pm
• Venue: Margaret River HEART – Nala Bardip Mia