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Photographer Anna Kiparis explores the unofficial dirt trails that form when walkers consistently choose a more direct, or convenient, route instead of following a planned path, known as 'desire lines'.

Walking through nature is an essential ritual for Kiparis, finding comfort and calm in the repetitive movement and taking notice of the details in the local landscape around Gardiners Creek. Documenting these desire lines and surrounding scenery with her camera allows Kiparis to take moments of pause, while contemplating human impact on natural landscapes.

This exhibition invites reflection on our relationship with nature and the marks we leave behind, acknowledging the universal impulse to wander, deviate and forge our own path.
 

Image credit: Anna Kiparis, ‘Surfacing’, 2025, pigment ink on cotton rag, 50.8 x 76.2 cm, image courtesy of the artist.

Photograph of a narrow footpath cutting through overgrown green grass, with leafy green branches arching overhead and sunlight highlighting textures of plants and uneven ground.
Anna Kiparis, ‘Path I’, 2025, digital print on satin, 180 x 120cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Photograph of tall grasses in a clearing, illuminated by low sunlight. A fallen branch lies among seed heads, while the background trees fade into soft focus.
Anna Kiparis, ‘Pause’, 2025, digital print on satin, 100 x 100cm, image courtesy of the artist.
A black-and-white photograph of a pond seen from above, with leafy branches framing the edges. Several fish are faintly visible beneath the water’s surface, and scattered small debris floats on top.
Anna Kiparis, ‘Surfacing’, 2025, pigment ink on cotton rag, 50.8 x 76.2 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Colour photograph of a narrow dirt path winding through grassy green woodland, with trees and dense foliage on both sides and soft, filtered light creating a shaded, enclosed scene.
Anna Kiparis, ‘Path III’, 2025, digital print on satin, 180 x 120cm, image courtesy of the artist.