Tanya Stanojevic Kauker is an encaustic painter, sculptor, and textile artist based in Moorabool, in Corangamite, a volcano-rich area home to the Wathaurong aboriginal community, a few hours west of Melbourne, Australia. Stanojevic Kauker’s relationship with the land is visceral. It pulsates through her art, unveiling views of serpentine river pathways, majestic deltas tinged with rich turquoise blue, imposing rock formations, which take on an almost anthropomorphic form. Sourcing materials from her own farm, she uses tree resin and beeswax mixed with oil paint, to confer a translucent sculptural quality to her work. Her aerial perspectives elicit a feeling of exhilaration, as if we were flying over the landscape marveling at the beauty of our planet. Stanojevic Kauker casts an objective gaze upon the land, observing its transformation by the hand of man. Yet, even though human beings impose their thoughts, images, and ideals on nature, the land exists regardless, in that transient state between two infinite moments.

Stanojevic Kauker studied fine arts in Melbourne, at the Victorian College of the Arts, where she experimented with painting, sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, woodwork, and photography. After a career as a teacher, she now devotes herself to making art and working on her farm. Living entirely off the bounty of Mother Earth, she makes soaps, candles, creams, honey, and cider, and uses her sheep’s wool for felting. For creative inspiration, she goes on local expeditions, fishing, bird watching, and collecting rocks.