Landscapes of Imagination

Landscapes of Imagination brings together works from the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Collection that reflect the enduring artistic allure of Hill End. This historic village has captured the imaginations of artists drawn to its layered histories, dramatic terrain, and evocative sense of place.

Since 1955, many of these artists’ works have been acquired, contributing to the rich cultural heritage of the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Collection, now celebrating its 70th year.

Hill End is more than a physical location—it is a site of creative projection, shaped as much by interpretation as observation. The phrase “landscapes of imagination”, which lends this exhibition its title, speaks to how artists have long reimagined the region through memory, emotion, and artistic experimentation.

The creative legacy of Hill End has been widely explored, notably in a landmark exhibition held thirty years ago at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which helped cement its significance in Australia’s cultural narrative. Since then, the Hill End Artists in Residence Program has welcomed a new generation of artists, offering them time and space to respond to the landscape and its histories. Many of these works have entered BRAG’s Collection, enriching our understanding of the site as an enduring source of inspiration.

Landscapes of Imagination invites viewers to consider how artists transform place into idea, charting both inner and outer worlds through their depictions of this iconic landscape.