Mornings at Bundanon begin in a wash of mist over the Shoalhaven River. The stillness isn’t empty, but alive with birdsong, eucalyptus, and the quiet insistence of the bush. RUSSH Editor-in-Chief Jess Blanch spent a weekend here recently, visiting the first exhibition by contemporary artists of the 2025 season at Bundanon.

Bundanon is an art museum, wildlife sanctuary, and cultural institution on Sydney's South Coast, which is now open to the public as a site for art, residency and reflection. Set across 1,000 hectares of bushland, time here is best spent walking through the gallery, pausing at the footbridge, or watching the landscape shift slowly through out the day. It's a place of less noise, and more space, where art and place can hold a conversation of their own. Below, Jess Blanch shares a series of moments from her weekend at Bundanon.

Stay...

After a smooth two-and-a-half hour drive from Sydney in the Volvo EX30, we parked the car and plugged it into a charging station, and took in the most peaceful view of Bundanon. Buildings are nestled into the landscape here, where clean architecture meets soft terrain. The Bridge — a new onsite accomodation — feels like an artwork in itself, an elevated structure floating above the land, housing up to 64 guests with floor-to-ceiling views of bush and sky. Inside, it is simple and poetic, championing natural textures with pared-back comfort.

See...

The 2025 season opened with Thinking Together: Exchanges with the Natural World, a major group exhibition curated by Sophie O’Brien. New commissions by artists Robert Andrew, Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, and Keg de Souza sit alongside powerful works by Tina Stefanou and Martu Artists. The themes are expansive of fungal intelligence, community, river memory, and multi-species collaboration. You’ll find a kinetic drawing machine echoing the lines of the Shoalhaven River, a participatory sculpture made from gathered branches, and soundscapes created with horses. It’s a show that insists on slowness, reciprocity and co-existence.

Do...

The day started with a guided walk along the Burrawang track led by First Nations custodians, where stories were woven through land and language. The day was full of talks, from a performance lecture by Tina Stefanou, to a conversation between artists Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan, introduced by Bundanon CEO Rachel Kent, and a reflection on collaboration and Country with Keg de Souza, Robert Andrew, and exhibition curator Sophie O’Brien. And after, a trip to Ramox Café for a simple cup of coffee.