Common Ground Pacific was the second exhibition featuring the UK artists Greg Fuller, Jason Hicklin and Tracy Hill. The exhibition investigated the Hunter River and its similarities with the Mersey as well as the surrounding Ocean, and featured Jason’s collection of etchings Ocean Part 2: Pacific.
Ocean Part 2: Pacific is a collection of etchings inspired by Jason’s time spent in residency in Newcastle, NSW in December 2016. Jason, Greg and Tracy were invited to participate in The Lock-Up’s Artist in Residence Programme, which gave them the opportunity to immerse themselves in walks along the edges of the Hunter River, to reflect on the industrial past and present and to walk the shoreline of the Pacific, where the river enters the ocean. Through their research, the artists investigated how ideas of navigation and walking have a direct correlation to our understanding and relationship to landscape and place.
Common Ground Pacific on show at The University Gallery
In February 2019 they returned to Newcastle to present Common Ground Pacific. The exhibition was held across two locations: The University Gallery, University of Newcastle (13 February – 9 March) and The Curve Gallery, Newcastle (15 February – 9 March).
The artists’ previous works shown by The Curve Gallery in 2016 explored the River Mersey in North West England. Jason’s River Mersey etchings were exhibited alongside work by Hill and Fuller.
“During my time in Newcastle I was a long way from home, with the warmth of the sun on my back instead of being wrapped in waterproofs. I walked the banks of the river and the shoreline of the ocean, drawing in my sketchbooks. Each day began with a 5:30 am swim: watching the sun rise over the ocean. The light of the Southern Hemisphere and the rhythms of the Pacific Ocean are what define these works.” (Jason Hicklin, 2019)