Joan Ross

Made to be Seen

Joan Ross and Australia’s Unfinished Story

Decorated multidisciplinary artist Joan Ross creates brilliantly vibrant works, creating an open dialogue on Australia’s colonial past, present and future.

Written by Sam Williams

In her 2019 work ‘Did you ask the river?’, Joan Ross uses Virtual Reality to cleverly depict a space wherein the audience embodies a colonial woman, who “ruins the world” in which you find yourself. “I purposely turned the tables here, making you complicit in colonisation, showing how our ‘me, me, me’ attitude and our desire and greed have a profound effect on our environment,” explained Joan. This work, which was one of the most painstaking to create yet still one of Joan’s personal favourites, perfectly encapsulates the artist’s body of work. Colonialism first found its way into Joan’s artmaking in the early 2000s, after some time spent observing colonial landscapes. “Professor Lisa Slade, who was a curator at Newcastle Art Gallery, asked me, for her groundbreaking exhibition ‘Curious Colony’, what I hadn’t made but would like to,” recounted Joan. “I said I would love to see a Joseph Lycett landscape come to life, and well, that was the conversation that started all my video animations.” This subject matter persists to this day, with commentary on colonialism, and in turn, the decimation of the environment and indigenous culture, playing a huge role in Joan’s body of work.

Her distinctive use of fluorescent colours developed at a similar time, elevating Joan’s artmaking through a clever reappropriation of the industrial colour scheme. “I started using it soon after 9/11 and insurance premiums were going up. People were being made to sign documents to commit to wearing fluro colours for safety,” detailed Joan. “It’s at a point [now] where there is so much fluro we no longer see it. People know the intrinsic power of that colour so it not only holds fear, it holds power. When you are wearing it, you can do anything you want to the land without being questioned.”

Throughout her artistic journey Joan has steadily become one of Sydney most celebrated artists. Garnering praise by public and critics alike, Joan has also taken part in some of Australia’s most renowned prizes. “Winning the Sulman, a week later winning the Ravenswood, and a week after that winning a Paspaley pearl necklace at their ball! Now that was an unexpected trifecta that blew me away.” In addition to these, Joan has also been a finalist in the Archibald, and displayed with the National Gallery, the Art Gallery of NSW, and the National Portrait Gallery. Her studio at Artspace in Woolloomooloo is where Joan currently works her magic, creating diligently alongside like-minded artists and curators. Whether video, 3D printing, or painting, you can expect more fluorescent commentary from Joan, who has a solo show scheduled for September at N.Smith Gallery, is working on a commission for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and is a finalist in this year’s Sulman Prize.