Some people might think that if they've seen one painting of the Pilbara landscape then they have seen them all - red rock, spinifex, cloudless blue sky, what more is there? In a thought provoking exhibition currently on at the Karratha Airport, Peter Ellis challenges these expectations.

Ellis places military weapons and aircraft into the familiar local landscape. In doing this, Ellis disturbs our perception of reality and forces us to reconsider what many of us take for granted.

Many of the images are menacing and unsettling. The artist admits to "a guilty interest" in weaponry, demonstrated in the obsessive detail in his depiction of cannons, tanks and aircraft. In Violet Helicopter a military helicopter swoops at the viewer like a giant insect on the attack, dominating the vivid orange sky and spinifex covered rocks below. In UN Reconnaissance Team a kangaroo fitted with surveillance technology is set in Pilbara bush while a helicopter flies low overhead. One wonders if they are scenes from a possible future.

The exhibition title "Media Wars" refers to both the subject matter and the paints, inks and charcoal Ellis has used to achieve interesting surface qualities in his carefully composed pictures.

In some paintings Ellis has combined flat and glossy surfaces alongside each other to reinforce the idea of conflict. Charcoal drawings of an army tank and cannon continue this theme of conflicting elements. Ellis has used charcoal, which is easily smudged, to draw these hard edged metal weapons set against ancient Pilbara rocks and has framed these highly detailed drawings under glass, another fragile material. In a number of works Ellis has used ink to create a luminous, swirling sea, which is particularly successful in You never see seagulls in trees.

Don't just walk past these exhibition and think you've seen it - this is the kind of art which takes time and some effort to appreciate. An artist's statement is provided for further clues about Ellis' motivations and interests.