Ervin, Belinda and SALA

Aug 4

The SALA Festival is one of my true joys in personal and work life. Here in South Australia, the month of August is when we celebrate living artists. It’s such an important concept, art is what makes us human. The reflection of life and the making of work from that reflection, empowers us to be better.

We take this very seriously here in SA, with over 10,000 artists featured.

This year I had the honour of opening Ervin Jane’s “Last Dash to the Finishing Line” at Tilbrook Estate Winery in Cudlee Creek. The title suggests this may be Ervin’s last exhibition. Somehow I doubt that, perhaps his last Solo exhibition…

Ervin is 85, a refugee from occupied Hungary, first by the Nazis and then Stalinist Russia. This exhibition is about his psycological growth through his life, and the peace he goes forward with.

Ervin is a much loved regular on SA’s art scene, and his partner Belinda Broughton is always by his side. She has written an incredible book of poetry entitled “Sparrow” that traces Ervin’s life. You can read more about the book at this link: https://belindabroughton.wordpress.com.

I also interviewed Ervin and Belinda for our podcast, you can listen to that episode here:

The text below is from my opening speech notes:

Ervin Janek
Last Dash to the Finishing Line
I’d like to acknowledge trational owners, the Peramangk (Pera-munk) and Kaurna people
I want to thank Ervin and Belinda for giving me this honour.
And from all of us, I want to thank Belinda for helping Ervin to get this show, and bigger story to us all.
Whilst some came to South Australia as colonisers, some came to seek refuge.
This mostly peaceful chapter of Ervin’s story began as a refugee from the carnage that was Europe through and out the other side of WW2.
The show speaks of Ervin’s psychological growth through his life.
It is imperative for all of us to consider how he has floated above everything that has sought to drown. While thankfully few of us will ever see what Ervin has seen, we all have a life time of experiences to respond to. And it is our response that makes us.
Considering what Ervin has been through, It is tempting to picture a phoenix character, rising from any one of these ashes, but this is not Ervin. He is the joyous sparrow who shows up ready to celebrate. Impossible to swat down.
The work itself is a refugee of the 2019 Cudleee creek bushfires that destroyed all that Belinda and Ervin had built here. Together they pulled this show from the remains. The work is all in camera photography, a difficult medium. These are well considered constructions. They are allegories of the twists and turns of life and how Ervin has responded.
To those of us in our mid 50s, this body of work, this attitude of Ervin’s, is a reminder that the dulling we are feeling in our mind and body, is not the signal that the end is near!
While it’s titled ‘last dash to the finish line’, it isn’t the finish line.
This work is wisdom described, it’s a gift from someone who understands life and how we and our land are all connected.
Take notes people!