Wama Foundation Launch

Gariwerd/Grampians National Park, July 2025

Across a sprawling 16-hectare site, the Wama Foundation is a not-for-profit art and environment precinct, situated in proximity to the Culturally, ecologically and geologically significant Gariwerd/Grampians National Park.

Wama includes the National Centre for Environmental Art — Australia's first gallery exclusively dedicated to showcasing and reflecting on artistic narratives concerning the natural world —the Gariwerd/Grampians Endemic Botanic Garden, Jallukar Native Grasslands, ephemeral wetland, sculptural trail, café, and shop.

As Wama’s inaugural CEO, Pippa Mott led the transition from construction to operations—overseeing project completion, organisational setup, recruitment, cultural consultation, stakeholder engagement, fundraising and development, and artistic direction.

After 14 years in development, the Wama project was launched on 5 July 2025 with a Ceremonial Welcome delivered by Paul Kelly (Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation) and Tya Lovett (Gunditjmara Traditional Owners Community).

Jacobus Capone: End & Being

Curated by José da Silva

Wama’s inaugural exhibition, ‘End & Being’, represents Jacobus Capone’s most ambitious undertaking to date, directly confronting the escalating global crisis of planetary warming. Coinciding with the UN’s declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, the exhibition documents a physically demanding performance undertaken both above and beneath the Bossons Glacier — Europe’s most prominent and dynamic icefall, situated on the Mont Blanc massif in France.

“Capone’s exhibition invites us to reflect on the shared realities of climate change. Although they are geographically distant, the melting of glacial ice in Europe, showcased in the exhibition, and the devastating bushfires that recently affected large parts of Gariwerd/Grampians National Park, serve as stark symbols of environmental fragility and transformation. By connecting these narratives, the exhibition encourages us to consider the interconnectedness of ecological systems, the far-reaching consequences of a warming planet, and the urgent need for both local and global responses to environmental crises.” - José da Silva