Sutton Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of works by Anne Ferran, Lost to Worlds 2. This suite of haunting photographic images is the culmination of more than a decade’s exploration by the artist of the same piece of ground, a paddock on the outskirts of the small village of Ross in central Tasmania. From 1847 until 1854 this was the site of a female factory or female convict prison, a place of further punishment for women who re-offended after arriving in the colony. Today little remains of that past apart from some gently undulating mounds of earth and scattered stones.

Lost to Worlds 2 comprises 30 large photographs digitally printed onto aluminum. The photographs offer occasional glimpses of sky or horizon but for the most part the view is resolutely towards the ground. Presented with few clues or meaningful facts to hold onto, our expectations of both photography and history are confounded. The large format of the photographs enhances their immersive feel, while a silver monochrome tone lends the landscapes an almost abstract quality. Collectively they reflect the ongoing difficulty of grasping and making sense of a ruined and fragmented past.