I had the pleasure of visiting Valerie Aked's exhibition Elements, a show which included textiles by Sandra Pitkin. The work took inspiration from the four seasons of Kyoto and the six seasons of the Aboriginal calendar in Kakadu. The exhibition set out to blend traditional Japanese techniques with an Australian awareness and a shared appreciation of space and place.

Above all, Valerie is respectful of her materials. Some of the stones used in her expressions of Kakadu were collected from outback riverbeds. Many were cut and polished and then set. Here her environmental and cultural values are expressed through sympathetic forms as she guides the elements into subtle yet expressive unions. The stones and metals are brought together simply and transparently, so that they speak clearly of a collaboration between cultural expression and natural form.

Screens for the Seasons expressed the four seasons of Kyoto: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. These were testament to Valerie's plique-a-jour skills. The works were set into ebony and stood as four individual Japanese screens, each with a panel of enamel. A clever and explorative development of aesthetic themes and motifs.

Ancient methods of raising metal were evident in Tsuba and Katana. The metal is raised by doming sheet with a wooden punch and wooden doming block. The hammering process is continued on the reverse side by pushing the metal until the desired shape is complete. Keeping to the tradition, Valerie riveted Katana with wooden plugs to hold tension and no solder was used. These works were a tribute to Satsuo Ando, an influential Japanese artist whom she met in 1981. Valerie's friendship with Ando enabled an appreciation and love of Japanese metal traditions.

Supporting these ideals are two brooches titled Winter Chill and Verdant Spring. Both works are modest in their execution but are powerful.

You can't make a commitment unless you know it is a choice, and Valerie's diversity in technique and her willingness to explore reinforce a tireless commitment to her work. The materials used to express theme and form for this exhibition were many and varied. Phosphor bronze, wood, rayskin, granite, black and white coral were some of the materials expressively used.

Kakadu and Kyoto are both spiritual places of particular significance to their people where nature is honored, but the relationships between space and place are different. In spite of the obvious differences between Kakadu and Kyoto, Valerie has linked common elements to promote mutual understanding between them. The results are poetic and convincing.

A very persuasive new body of work by a quintessentially Australian artist.