THE iconic Eucalyptus acted as the inspiration for a new series of artworks on display at the Frankston Arts Centre.
A series of sculptures are being displayed at the Arts Centre as part of Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s Gumnut Spheres exhibition. Ms Cardoso said that the exhibition is a celebration of the foliage, blooms, and gumnuts associated with the eucalyptus.
“To me, the Eucalyptus is an artist and gumnuts are its artworks. As a trained sculptor, I can only dream of carving with such skill, to produce these perfectly shaped wooden sculptures,” she said. “The Eucalyptus tree does it naturally, after practicing for over 100 million years to get these shapes right.
“Some plants protect their seeds inside of soft fruit. But this is Australia, where resilience and toughness are striking characteristics of our environment, our history and also contemporary culture. To me, the gumnut is the perfect symbol of what it means to be Australian.”
Ms Cardoso was born Bogota, Colombia. Her studies and work have taken her to the USA and Australia. Her exhibition is on display at the Frankston Arts Centre until 23 April as part of Ventana Fiesta.