AN exhibition responding to the unique food and wine scene of North East Victoria by Brisbane-based artist Elizabeth Willing is open at Wangaratta Art Gallery.

The exhibition, Crystalline, explores the interconnected qualities of sugar and alcohol, particularly wine, and is the outcome of research undertaken by Willing in the region during a residency in early 2024.

In her three-week stay the artist spent time working with and observing winemakers and food producers in the King Valley, Beechworth, and Rutherglen.

Working across textiles, sculpture and installation Elizabeth Willing’s works are performative and often participatory explorations of food as both concept and material.

Her practice reflects on the biological and cultural importance of food, hospitality and digestion.

For Crystalline, Willing explores how alcohol and sugar are not essential for our survival but are a ubiquitous part of our daily lives.

Chemically connected through fermentation and production, both sugar and alcohol are associated with ritual, celebration, class and disease.

The exhibition will feature a large textile piece titled Rootstock exploring the impact grape seeds have on the flavour of wine, and the parasitic mistletoe which grows abundantly across the region.

Wangaratta Art Gallery director Rachel Arndt said the gallery was delighted to present Elizabeth's latest works following last year's residency.

"As an artist that works across food, sculpture, installation and textiles, there are so many synergies and I’m confident Elizabeth's work will resonate with local audiences and visitors alike, bringing new perspectives to how we understand our relationship with sugar and alcohol," Ms Arndt said.

The exhibition has an accompanying publication of the same name Crystalline, with an essay titled Sugar Hit, by Samantha Littley - curator of Australian Art at Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art.

See Crystalline at the Wangaratta Art Gallery until May 18, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm.