Published on Friday, 4 September 2026 at 1:23:28 PM
Albany Town Hall’s latest exhibition, Rich and Rare, invites audiences to explore the history, near disappearance and restoration of Australia’s native flat oyster reefs.
Through photography, video installation and machine-embroidered lace, artist Jacqui Malins examines the story of Ostrea angasi, the native flat oyster once found in reefs along Australia’s southern coastline.
The species has a particularly strong connection to Kinjarling/Albany, with the once-abundant oyster reefs intrinsic to the history and identity of Oyster Harbour.
After discovering old Ostrea angasi shells near Eden, New South Wales, Malins investigation took her from Yuin Country on the NSW south coast to north-eastern Lutruwita/Tasmania and west to Oyster
Harbour in Kinjarling/Albany.
Once forming reefs spanning hectares in some locations, native flat oyster populations were devastated by extraction, overconsumption and environmental change following European settlement.
At the centre of Rich and Rare is an ethereal piece of machine-embroidered lace that reflects the oyster reef’s fragility, delicacy and now fragmented distribution.
City of Albany Manager Arts and Culture Paul Nielsen said the exhibition provided a powerful opportunity to explore an important part of Albany’s environmental history through a contemporary artistic lens.
“Rich and Rare draws attention to something that was once so abundant in our local environment that it helped give Oyster Harbour its name, yet today its history is largely unknown,” Mr Nielsen said.
“This work beautifully connects art, history and ecology, encouraging us to consider what has been lost, what we collectively remember and what can potentially be restored.
“It is particularly meaningful to present this exhibition in Albany, where efforts have been made to restore native flat oyster reefs and bring this important species back to Oyster Harbour.”
In recent years, Oyster Harbour has been among the locations selected by The Nature Conservancy Australia for native oyster reef restoration.
Rich and Rare is on display at Albany Town Hall from Saturday, September 4, inviting visitors to contemplate ecological grief, collective memory and the possibility of renewal.
A free artist talk will take place at the Albany Town Hall on Sunday, September 5 from 10:30am
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