The National 4: Australian Art Now

The seven photographs in Amanda Williams’ series Alpine Bogs and Associated Fens (2020) depict the unique ecology of Victoria’s Alpine National Park. Together, they form a noncontinuous panorama that charts a topographic journey from the high plains above the tree line to the moist depths of a valley floor. Williams’ subject is the endangered wetland bogs and fens of this region, which are under threat from the effects of climate change. In an uncanny turn of events, the last of her negatives were exposed as devastating bushfires raged out of frame in the final days of 2019, leaving a smoky haze that permeates several of the images.

—Anneke Jaspers