THE CITY AND THE BUSH

Chilean artists Raquel Cobb and Paola Raggo present The City and the Bush at Field Trip Gallery. With one room each, Raquel’s printmaking and Paola’s painting offer different but related responses to place and landscape.

Raquel Cobb

In the past, my work focused on my surroundings, the old Queenslander houses and their interiors. In 2013, I began travelling to the Central Desert to paint. I found the Australian desert fascinating, and it has significantly influenced my work.

I studied Fine Art and Printmaking at QCA, Griffith University, and I have been a practising artist since the 1990s. Initially, my work focused on my surroundings, particularly the old Queenslander houses and their interiors. In 2013, I began travelling to the Central Desert to paint, and I found the Australian desert to be fascinating. This experience has had a significant influence on my work. In my prints, I do not aim to create exact images of the landscape; instead, I strive to capture the essence of what I see through my emotional reactions. I translate the dry red rock formations and their patterns, the unique vegetation, and the colours that I had never encountered in nature. The ochres, oxide reds, and various shades of blue and green all inspire me. I also focus on how the light changes these colours at different times of the day.

Paola Raggo

For me, this body of work has grown out of a deeply personal experience. Over the past few years, moving from house to house around the city because of the uncertainty of the rental market has continually changed not only where I live, but also how I see the world. Every window has offered a different view, revealing a new perspective of the city and reflecting the emotional highs and lows that come with constant change. These paintings explore those shifting landscapes—both the physical views outside and the emotional ones within.

Paola Raggo is a Brisbane-based painter, graduated with honours from the School of Visual Arts at the University of Chile. Her work explores environmental, political, and psychological themes through expressive colour and atmosphere. She has exhibited internationally, including at Velvet da Vinci and Creativity Oggetti, and also maintains a parallel practice in contemporary jewellery.

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Where: Field Trip Gallery

1 Latrobe Tce, Paddington

When: August 15th — August 18th, 2026

Opening event:
Saturday August 15th, 6:00pm — 8:00pm

Artist talk:

Sunday August 16th, 11:00am — 12:30pm

RSVP Now

𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀:

Thursday: CLOSED

Friday: CLOSED

Saturday: 6:00pm — 8:00pm

Sunday: 11:00am — 4:00pm

Monday: 11:00am — 4:00pm

Tuesday: 11:00am — 4:00pm

Wednesday: 11:00am — 2:00pm

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