Cate McCarthy's Master of Philosophy (Fine Art) exhibition considers the process of becoming. It examines how memory, knowledge and connection are imbued in place, and how one can closely relate one's paintings and drawings to a sense of place and country by the use of materials such as ochres and the use of strong simple abstract forms. Discovering the graves of her mother's ancestors at Goolagong cemetery during her Masters research, was a pivotel point in McCarthy's work and thinking. The ziggurat, a motif of the self and a representation of the link between heaven and earth, has been a recurring theme in her artwork since that time, linking ancestry and self, to feeling a sense of connection to country. The sticks and charcoal are from the snow gums where McCarthy now lives at Yetholme NSW. They are a fragile yet tangible link to that place. McCarthy states that she now feels comfortable with the understanding that we do not 'belong' to a place, but that we are a part of all of it. This includes all of the places we have been and all of these places are a part of us, deep in our cells and our psyche - digging a bit deeper. Exhibition dates 5-16 December. Gallery hours Wed-Sat 12-6pm.