Kangaroo Island-based assemblage artist Janine Mackintosh has studded the lodge with her beautiful signature ‘leaf mandalas’ and found objects artworks. Crafted from locally gathered eucalyptus leaves, native seeds, and found objects from weathered glass fragments to colourful ceramics, these intricate compositions celebrate the natural power and rhythm of the island landscape. Janine was commissioned to produce five leaf mandalas which would line the restaurant walls prior to the lodge opening in 2008 and collected the leaves from onsite before carefully threading them in place on each mandala, tying her work to the lodge’s surroundings. In the days following the devastating 2020 wildfires, Janine revisited the site to gather remnants of the original lodge – from nails to the kangaroo-stamped silver butter covers, repurposing them into a poignantly beautiful installation that greets guests at the Southern Spa.
The late, Kangaroo Island-based sculptor Indiana James was loved and revered for breathing life into found metal objects, creating striking sculptures that tell a story of nature, beauty and resilience. Indiana’s work ‘Sunshine,’ a kangaroo crafted from the reclaimed metal of a Sunshine brand combine harvester was commissioned prior to Southern Ocean Lodge’s original opening and stood sentinel in the upper lounge of the Great Room, silently greeting guests as they arrived. Incredibly, Sunshine survived the wildfires and Indiana painstakingly restored him, returning him to once again welcome guests in the Great Room. His next creation, ‘Lyre Lyre Pans on Fire,’ is a magnificent lyrebird sculpture, born from kitchen and spa remnants that Indiana recovered from the site after the fire, standing as a testament to rebirth and renewal.
Renowned printmaker and watercolour artist Janet Ayliffe, alongside her husband Glen Ash, has captured the breathtaking landscapes of Kangaroo Island in a series of triptych watercolour paintings displayed in the Flinders Suites. Glen Ash has created a foil triptych that hangs in the Osprey Suite and depicts an osprey cruising above the Southern Ocean. Together, their works reflect the island’s natural biodiversity and Janet’s deep connection to the wild landscape.
Glass artist Llewelyn Ash has transformed the walk-in wine cellar and Baillie Pavilion into an underwater dreamscape with a stunning installation of hand-blown glass fish. Inspired by the marine life surrounding Kangaroo Island, the piece – designed in collaboration with his brother Gabriel Ash – depicts a school of whiting in motion, sparkling in the changing light and seamlessly integrating with the architecture.
In collaboration with Ernabella Arts and the Adelaide Studio of the APY Arts Collective, First Nations artists from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands have contributed powerful First Nations artworks to the Baillie Pavilion and Southern Spa. These pieces share stories through surprising colour that picks up the workings of the landscape ensuring that the cultural heritage of Australia’s First Peoples remains central to the lodge’s artistic identity.
Drawing from his family’s deep connection to Kangaroo Island, artist Nick Hannaford presents ‘Lines of Sight Through Time,’ a series of paintings inspired by his grandfather’s hand-drawn maps of secret fishing spots around the island. These works, displayed in the Baillie Pavilion, blend history, memory, and seascape into a unique visual narrative.
From leaf mandalas to reclaimed metal sculptures, from Indigenous storytelling to glass-blown marine life, the artworks at Southern Ocean Lodge are more than decorative – they are an essential part of the lodge’s identity. These creations enhance the guest experience while serving as a testament to Kangaroo Island’s vibrant artistic community and the enduring spirit of its landscape. Visitors are not just stepping into a luxury retreat; they are entering a celebration of place, resilience, and creativity.
For more information about Southern Ocean Lodge and the other properties in the Baillie Lodges portfolio please download our brochure.
