Southern Ocean Lodge has launched a new artists-in-residence program that places Kangaroo Island’s creative talent front and centre, offering guests a rare chance to experience the island through the eyes of those who know it best.
Running through summer and into March next year, the inaugural program welcomes a rotating lineup of respected local artists to Southern Ocean Lodge, where they will stay on site and create works inspired by the island’s rugged coastline, native wildlife and the vast Southern Ocean beyond. Artists will be hosted one at a time, giving each residency a dedicated focus and allowing guests to engage directly with the creative process.
The experience is complimentary for guests, described by the lodge as a ‘surprise and delight’ inclusion, with informal opportunities to meet the artists, ask questions and see works take shape in real time. It adds a deeply personal layer to a stay already defined by immersion in the wild beauty of Kangaroo Island.
The initiative mirrors the long-running and much-loved artists-in-residence program at sister property Longitude 131°, where First Nations Anangu artists from the Ernabella Arts Community create works at the base of Uluru. For Southern Ocean Lodge, the focus is firmly on celebrating Kangaroo Island’s own creative voices.
The program lineup includes assemblage artist Janine Macintosh, whose intricate leaf mandalas already feature throughout the lodge, lining the sandstone walls of the restaurant and appearing in every guest suite. Photographer and storyteller Linda Irwin will bring her lens and narrative eye to the island’s changing moods, while silversmith and jeweller Patti Blucher will work with found copper to create wearable pieces and paintings, also available through her By Blu online gallery.
Textile and mixed media artist Maggie Welz explores the stories of landscape, flora and fauna through silk, watercolours and ink, while Jane Louise Evans works across printmaking, painting and drawing from her remote studio overlooking Nepean Bay. Her work depicts iconic island wildlife alongside endangered beach-nesting birds, including Hooded Plovers, Pied Oystercatchers and White Bellied Sea Eagles.
Sculptor Dave Clarke uses bronze and copper to amplify the smallest ocean creatures, giving them scale and presence, while multidisciplinary artist Peter Hastwell reflects his commitment to environmental care through printworks, paintings and photography. Globally represented local artist Jennifer Macauley rounds out the program, drawing on watercolour, gouache, acrylic and oils to capture the shifting light of sea, sky and land.
Baillie Lodges Chief Operating Officer Craig Bradbery said the program was a natural fit for the lodge and its setting.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming these inspiring local artists to Southern Ocean Lodge over the coming months. It’s a special opportunity for guests to see artists at work and experience their creative interpretation of this extraordinary landscape,” Mr Bradbery said.
“As the first program of its kind at Southern Ocean Lodge, we look forward to continuing the artists-in-residence initiative in the years ahead.”
The program reinforces Southern Ocean Lodge’s place within the Baillie Lodges portfolio, blending luxury travel with meaningful cultural connection and a strong sense of place.
For more information, please visit baillielodges.com.au.
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