Limewashing the Apathy: nature + nurture
Belinda Fraser, CAIA Studio, 23–29 October 2025
Limewashing the Apathy (2025) addresses the ongoing environmental destruction driven by extractive capitalism. Through this installation, Warrabal artist Belinda Fraser situates the viewer within a crime scene, confronting the legacy of the Mount Morgan mine. Operating from 1882 to 1990, the mine extracted gold, silver, and copper, ultimately creating an ecological catastrophe which continues to poison waterways and violate the surrounding landscape. This abusive process directly interferes with the reciprocal relationship First Nations people hold with Country. Lime Washing the Apathy confronts us with a haunting question: how can the continuum of nurture endure when colonial destruction is rooted in the absence of empathy?
Fraser’s astute use of motif introduces physical evidence of pollution into the institutional space. Silent current, a muslin cloth harmful to the touch carries the sediments and textures of an infected Country. The river itself participates in the work, leaving traces of memory and change. Extending this dialogue of contamination, Gilded Ruination presents cyanotypes developed in the Dee River with each print bearing a lithologic symbol, a reminder of the land’s geological and colonial inscriptions. Through the application of gold leaf, Fraser both exposes and reclaims the minerals that once drove extraction, subverting Western notions of wealth and worth.
Photograph by Serinah Williams, 2025
Though the land has been violently mined for its minerals, these elements remain inseparable from Country. Elaborating on this concept, Beyond the extraction interlaces gold, silver, and copper wire through a topographical map, drawing upon the natural borders of Country to challenge the artificial lines of colonial possession.
Collectively, the installation highlights the enduring impacts of destructive mining practices. Fraser situates a profound sense of urgency within this discourse, emphasising our shared responsibility as the landscape continues to deteriorate. Apathy toward this ongoing destruction represents a critical failure to acknowledge these consequences. With plans to reopen the mine looming, Fraser’s work gains renewed and urgent relevance.
Written by Makayla Dass, 2025