Galston artist Roslyn Kean will fill Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre with her woodblock prints from 20 November to 6 December 2026, in an exhibition called The Art of Roslyn Kean presented by Hornsby Shire Council.
Kean won the 2025 Hornsby Art Prize Local Artist Award, and the show builds on that recognition. She is known for a contemporary take on Japanese woodblock printing, and the works on the walls are marked by complexity, nuance and an unusual way of handling form and space.
Her starting point is the Japanese idea of ma, a pause in space or time. The prints carry a deep respect for Japanese artistic values, while the centuries-old technique is turned toward a modern eye. Kean says she draws on those values to make work that calms and engages the viewer, and that still feels distinctive and personal to her.
Visitors will also find Rock at the Roadside, a collaborative mokuhanga project Kean conceived. It pairs traditional Japanese woodblock techniques with a selection of tanka poems.
Organisers expect people to travel from across Australia and Japan to see it, which says plenty about Kean’s standing as one of the region’s most respected printmakers.
Hornsby Shire Mayor Warren Waddell has urged residents to go along. He said the council is proud to back local artists and give the community chances to experience outstanding culture. In his view Kean’s work is technically impressive and deeply engaging, and the exhibition is a good moment to celebrate a talented local artist whose prints link Hornsby Shire to a rich international artistic tradition.
Entry is free. The exhibition runs Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, from 20 November to 6 December 2026 at Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre, 25 Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby. More information is at https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/roslyn-kean-art.
