Artists to Ice

Artists to Ice presents works from the TMAG collection by Australian artists Stephen Eastaugh, Bea Maddock, Jan Senbergs, and Jörg Schmeisser, who travelled to Antarctica between 1987 and 2009.

Antarctica has intrigued and enthralled artists since 1700 when Edmond Halley first sketched tabular icebergs in ‘The Icey Sea’. When Captain James Cook ventured into the Antarctic circle in 1772-73, he also encountered ‘ice islands’ which were famously sketched by expeditionary artist William Hodges. The ice was truly treacherous for sailors in wooden ships and neither ventured close to the continent.

Only in the late twentieth century have artists had the opportunity to spend extended periods of time in Antarctica through the programs offered by the Australian Antarctic Division and their international equivalents. Many artists have described these residencies as life-changing experiences shaped by extreme feelings of awe, fear, and isolation, along with a profound appreciation of Antarctica’s beauty and the sheer grit required for humans to work and survive in its harsh conditions.