Working from a deep love of nature and a disdain for colonial superiority, Joan Ross is an artist whose daringly honest approach to the legacy of colonialism in Australia penetrates the armour and/or camouflage of contemporary society’s fine-washing of Australia’s past, present and future.
With a bold humanist style, Ross’ cross-disciplinary practice and philosophical mission as a Scottish Australian artist, is born from a desire to understand Australia’s protected shady layers of colonial histories. Fluoro and furious, Ross reimagines colonial imagery, imbuing each work with a slew of cultural references that reflect eras unwittingly lived by us all– critiquing the complex and ongoing issues surrounding the effects of greed, globalisation and colonisation all while leaving you with a smile.
Joan Ross recently presented a major career survey at the National Portrait Gallery, Joan Ross: Those trees came back to me in my dreams, whereby Ross was invited to select portraits from the collection and situate them alongside her own artworks – furthering the evolution of Ross’ long withstanding practice and concepts around ‘collecting’ and ‘collections.’
Ross’ life as an artist has situated her in many contexts – educator and peer, mentor and judge – as well as provided the success of having her art on the insides of leading institutions and, on their outsides too. With a keen interest in the media of virtual reality, Did you ask the river? at ACMI, Melbourne, was Ross’ foray into the world of VR and has paved the way for following projects such as Collectors Paradise, a Know My Name project, at National Gallery of Australia and most recently, I give you a mountain, an animated journey through a cabinet of curiosities in an expansive projection on the façade of the Art Gallery of South Australia.