Kelp and other marine algae

Anna Brooks

Exhibition Dates :
Thursday 8 – Monday 19 January 2026
Monday – Friday 9:30am – 5:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 10:00am – 5:00pm
*Early Closure on Final Day, Monday 19 January 2026 9:30am – 2:00pm*

Paintings, drawings and cyanotype prints featuring Tasmanian marine algae.

Kelp are large, marine, brown algae which tend to grow in cool waters and are important habitat for fish and other species. Tasmanian kelp species include giant kelp, bull kelp, strapweed, crayweed and common kelp. 

“I first became interested in kelp when I read that 90% of giant kelp in Tasmania has disappeared over recent decades due to ocean warming and related factors. I searched for giant kelp fragments washed up on beaches and became fascinated by the variety of different seaweeds with their myriad patterns and shapes. I made drawings of giant kelp, and blue cyanotype prints from other seaweed specimens I dried and pressed.  From land, one of the most obvious kelps is the leathery bull kelp around rocky parts of the coast in shallow water. Its gold-brown, glossy blades are swirled by the waves in quite mesmerising ways and inspired me to several paintings. 

With this exhibition I hope to spark the viewer’s interest in the many species which are usually out of sight underwater.”
– Anna Brooks