Sometimes it’s the little things
2021
“For Final Call, Coombs has created a text-based work in neon lighting. Made in the artist’s handwriting the text reads ‘SOMETIMES IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS’. Like a roadside billboard, the neon takes its place at the top of a steel structure installed overlooking an ephemeral wetland in a gully below.
Often the narrative of climate change is foreshadowed by helplessness. It’s a story of adversity told through data that measures the environmental, social, political and economic costs. The phrase Coombs has chosen is ambiguous. It’s casual tone at odds with the scale at which it has been written and the drama of the natural backdrop it is set against. Coombs presents us with a moment to pause and reflect; an opportunity to find emotion and agency within the monumental and overwhelming by refocussing our attention on the little things within our control.” Megan Williams (Curator)
Final Call, Maroochydore Bushland Botanical Gardens
Documentation by Timothy Birch and Carl Warner.
Neon, and steel. 286 x 383 cm. Temporarily installed for ‘Final Call’. Now on permanent display at USC.
This exhibition was supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
