The Coffs Collection
Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM)
Coffs Harbour City Council
I was very honoured to have a selection of my artworks accepted into the City of Coffs Harbour Collection by curator Cecile Knight in 2020. My connection with the Coffs Coast spans more than four decades, having first visited the region in the 1970s and returning regularly throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, before living and working in Coffs Harbour for a ten year period.
During this time I established a community based arts centre at Cr8Studios and worked closely with the local arts community and Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery. I collaborated with former Gallery Director Dr Leigh Summers and contributed to the broader cultural environment surrounding EMSLA, the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award.
Across those years I documented numerous exhibitions, events, and artworks presented at the Gallery, contributing to the visual record of the region’s evolving cultural life. When I relocated to Sydney in 2020, I provided the Gallery with a one terabyte archive drive containing extensive photographic documentation of exhibitions and associated events from this period.
My involvement extended beyond documentation. I was a member of the Friends of the Gallery committee and also served on the Library Gallery Planning Advisory Group (LGPAG), contributing to consultation processes supporting the development and eventual construction of Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM), the integrated civic facility bringing together library, gallery, museum, and council functions.
Coffs Harbour remains a significant place within the development of my photographic practice. The coastal environment, regional community, and ongoing dialogue with artists and audiences provided an important context for creative expansion. The period from 2017 onwards was particularly productive, with several works emerging that would later be included in the Collection.
This narrative reflects an ongoing theme throughout my practice: the relationship between community engagement, lived experience, and the gradual formation of a photographic language shaped through observation, participation, and long-term connection to place.
Works in the Coffs Collection
Elena Kats-Chernin
I Now Pronounce You Human Beings
10 Seconds
Life’s a Beach
Coastal Impressions
Coastal Palms
Cliché 002 – Test Tube Babies
Procreation and Death
The Big Banana
Related Projects and Context
New Year New Work
Paint My Place
The complete collection record may be viewed at Raymond Mather | Coffs Collections
Elena Kats-Chernin, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
Elena Kats-Chernin
Captured during a live performance at the opening event of EMSLA, the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, this portrait continues an ongoing photographic dialogue with internationally recognised composer and pianist Elena Kats-Chernin. I had previously photographed Elena with Tamara-Anna Cislowska at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, where I observed a distinctive moment in her performance process, she would close her eyes while fully immersed in the music, continuing to play with complete presence and concentration.
When the opportunity arose to photograph Elena again during EMSLA, permission was granted to work discreetly during the performance in order to capture this expressive state.
The resulting image was later selected as a Finalist in the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize, exhibited at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in 2018.
I Now Pronounce You Human Beings, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
I Now Pronounce You Human Beings
Photographed on location with the support of a generous group of friends, this portrait work responds to the national Marriage Equality debate taking place in Australia at the time of creation. The work reflects a quiet assertion of shared humanity during a period of significant social discussion and collective decision making.
The image was selected as a Semi Finalist in the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize in 2016.
Self Portrait "10 Seconds", Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
Self Portrait 10 Seconds
This self portrait was created in response to an Artist Selfie initiative presented within a curated exhibition at M-Arts Precinct. The image was photographed on location at an old cow bale structure in the Orara Valley, inland from Coffs Harbour.
The title refers directly to the exposure duration used in the capture process, with the extended exposure allowing gesture, movement, and environment to combine into a single recorded moment.
Lifes A Beach, Still Life, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
Life’s a Beach
Emerging from the evolving Cliché Life still life series, this work explores familiar language and commonly repeated phrases as visual starting points for reinterpretation. The project investigates how everyday expressions can be reframed through photographic construction.
The work was selected as a Finalist in the Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award in Brisbane.
Coastal Impressions, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
Coastal Impressions
Photographed at the Coffs Harbour Jetty foreshores, this work formed part of the continued development of the Coastal Noir series, exploring tonal reduction, atmosphere, and perceptual ambiguity within coastal environments.
The work was selected for exhibition in Northern Exposure 5 at Glasshouse Regional Gallery in 2018.
Coastal Palms, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
Coastal Palms
Created during my regular morning walking routine and photographic explorations around Sawtell on the Coffs Coast, this work reflects the recurring presence of the palm tree across varied cultural contexts and visual histories.
The artwork is now situated within the Vivid Country collection and was selected for exhibition in Northern Exposure 6 at Glasshouse Regional Gallery in 2020.
Cliche 002 - Test Tube Babies, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
Cliché 002 - Test Tube Babies
Language and commonly repeated phrases form the conceptual basis of the Cliché Life series. This artwork became the first image developed within the evolving collection, establishing a framework for visual interpretation of everyday expressions.
The work was submitted to the STILL National Still Life Award at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery and was selected for exhibition in the STILL Salon accompanying the primary exhibition in 2017.
Procreation and Death, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
Procreation and Death
This work began with the discovery of a cicada specimen on the shoreline at Scotts Head during an intense cicada season. After the specimen was collected for photographic study, natural processes resulted with ants removing the body structure, leaving only the translucent wing forms.
Using slow exposure and controlled light painting techniques, the wings were illuminated to reveal a visual quality reminiscent of stained glass. The work was submitted to the STILL National Still Life Award at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery and selected for exhibition in the STILL Salon in 2019.
The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum
The Big Banana
Originally developed within the Coffs Goes POP collection, this work references one of Australia’s most widely recognised regional landmarks, Big Banana Fun Park.
The work was acquired for the Collection following discussions with Debbie Campbell, working within the Collections team at the Gallery, recognising the cultural significance of the Big Banana as a visual symbol of the Coffs Coast and its tourism history.
Related Projects and Context
New Year New Work 2019 Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, Yarrila Arts and Museum
New Year New Work
Created while participating in the SHIMMER Photographic Biennale in McLaren Vale in 2018, this work began as a photographic study of the historic South Cellar at Kay Brothers Winery, where my solo exhibition of Coastal Noir works was presented as part of the Biennale programme.
The original photographic image of the 100 year old cellar was subsequently transformed using a pop art influenced colour process in Vivid County Collection. The final work involved experimentation with photo transfer techniques applied onto 50 x 50 cm plywood panels supplied by Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery for the New Year New Work exhibition in 2019.
Paint My Place Exhibition 2016, Artist talk Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery
(L-R) Myf Gullifer, Ross Laurie, Idris Murphy, Euan McLeod, Ann Thomson, Alan Jones, Reg Mombassa, Peter O’Doherty, Isabel Ricketts, Adrienne Richards, Susan O’Doherty and Curator Abigail Moncrieff.
Exhibition Photography by Raymond Mather
Paint My Place Exhibition 2016 at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, Yarrila Arts and Museum
Paint My Place
During my time living on the Coffs Coast between 2010 and 2020, numerous opportunities arose to contribute to local cultural activity. Paint My Place was a particularly memorable experience, bringing together a remarkable group of artists for a two week residency and exhibition programme.
I worked as documentary photographer for the residency, recording both the creative process and the exhibition outcomes. The experience involved extended conversations, shared meals, and a strong sense of collegial exchange that reflects the importance of community within creative practice.
Participating artists included Elisabeth Cummings, Myf Gullifer, Alan Jones, Ross Laurie, Steve Lopes, Euan McLeod, Reg Mombassa, Idris Murphy, Peter O’Doherty, Susan O’Doherty, Adrienne Richards, Isabel Ricketts, Amanda Penrose Hart, Luke Sciberras, and Ann Thomson.
All artworks and projects referenced in this article are held in the Coffs Harbour Collection at Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM), Coffs Harbour, formerly Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.
View the complete collection record: Raymond Mather | Coffs Collections