Walk into the latest exhibition at Maroondah Art Gallery and you will enter into Zones of Isolation – an interpretation by artist Simon Cross of the urban parklands and industrial estates of our cities.

Councillor Alex Makin encourages the community to view this solo exhibition by Simon Cross, who was awarded the inaugural 2006 Walker Street Art Gallery art prize funded by the City of Greater Dandenong.

“This annual art prize was set up to encourage and showcase the work of emerging male artists and is supported by Maroondah City Council and the City of Kingston,” said Cr Makin.

“Simon’s work encompasses painting and photography, with much of the action taking place in sparse urban parklands or on the edges of desolate industrial estates,” said Cr Main.

Figures wander into these paintings like actors on a stage; some seem oblivious to the strange sculptures located in these settings while others make careful observation of the world about them. Improbable things occur, such as people and animals taking to the air, but more often than not, the drama is one of isolation.

In Cross’s photographs toys and mannequins peer at the viewer, leaving us to wonder about their history and position in the eerie landscapes surrounding them.

‘Simon Cross – Zones of Isolation’ will be on show at the Maroondah Art Gallery from 23 August to 22 September Maroondah Art Gallery is located at Maroondah Federation Estate, 32 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and Saturday 12pm to 4pm. For further information telephone the Maroondah Art Gallery Curator on 9298 4542.