• Known for her incisive explorations of Australia's colonial legacy, Joan Ross returns with a vibrant series of new paintings, works...
     Known for her incisive explorations of Australia's colonial legacy, Joan Ross returns with a vibrant series of new paintings, works on paper, and a new animation commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. 

    Marking a bold new direction with her signature use of fluorescent yellow and digital forging of colonial paintings, Joan continues to challenge and reinterpret historical narratives, inviting viewers to reflect on the enduring impacts of colonisation.​
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    • Joan Ross I tried to save you, 2025 acrylic on canvas 102 x 81.5 cm
      Joan Ross
      I tried to save you, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      102 x 81.5 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross I tried to sew her head back on, 2025 acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm
      Joan Ross
      I tried to sew her head back on, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      100 x 80 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross We were everywhere, 2025 acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm
      Joan Ross
      We were everywhere, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      100 x 80 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross The headless bird sings a sad song, 2025 acrylic on canvas 80 x 50 cm
      Joan Ross
      The headless bird sings a sad song, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      80 x 50 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross The takeover, 2025 acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm
      Joan Ross
      The takeover, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      100 x 80 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross What a wonderful world, 2025 acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm
      Joan Ross
      What a wonderful world, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      100 x 80 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross Pollination of a nation, 2025 acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm
      Joan Ross
      Pollination of a nation, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      100 x 80 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross At least I had your head in my locket, 2025 acrylic on watercolour paper 75 x 57 cm (sheet) / 89 x 69 cm (frame)
      Joan Ross
      At least I had your head in my locket, 2025
      acrylic on watercolour paper
      75 x 57 cm (sheet) / 89 x 69 cm (frame)
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross I regretted so much, what I had done to you, 2025 acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm
      Joan Ross
      I regretted so much, what I had done to you, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      100 x 80 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross I'm pretty sure I got everything, 2025 acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm
      Joan Ross
      I'm pretty sure I got everything, 2025
      acrylic on canvas
      100 x 80 cm
      Enquire.
  •
    JOAN ROSS
    Banks x Banks (The great south sea caterpillar), 2024 - 2025
    high-definition video with sound
    4 min 55 sec
    Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
    Edition of 10 plus 2 artist's proofs
    Enquire
    • Joan Ross The fly catching macaroni, 2025 hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper 55 x 90 cm
      Joan Ross
      The fly catching macaroni, 2025
      hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper
      55 x 90 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross Joseph Banks did not discover this 108 million year old flower, 2025 hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper 64 x 90 cm
      Joan Ross
      Joseph Banks did not discover this 108 million year old flower, 2025
      hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper
      64 x 90 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross The simpling macaroni, 2025 hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper 55 x 90 cm
      Joan Ross
      The simpling macaroni, 2025
      hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper
      55 x 90 cm
      Enquire.
    • Joan Ross This was no discovery, 2025 hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper 58 x 49.5 cm
      Joan Ross
      This was no discovery, 2025
      hand-coloured pigment print on rag paper
      58 x 49.5 cm
      Enquire.
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  • Bio.

    Bio.

    Bold and experimental, Joan Ross' practice investigates the legacy of colonialism in Australia with a  particular focus on reconfiguring the colonial Australian landscape and drawing attention to the complex and ongoing issues surrounding the effects of globalisation and colonisation.

    Since the late 1980s, Joan has exhibited across a range of mediums, from drawing, painting, photography and sculpture to installation, video, and virtual reality. Her experimental works combine colonial iconography and landscape painting with collaged elements of western commodity culture connected to land tenure.

     

    Joan's use of fluorescent yellow and high-visibility clothing symbolises colonisation and fear. The act of depicting people in this bright clothing and placing fluorescent objects in the landscape does more, however, than simply illustrate colonisation; it also highlights and exaggerates the foreign or alien aspects of her work and its association with the landscape and the cultural and spiritual connection to place.

     

    Recent projects include her major solo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (until 2025), major presentations and commissions for Ngununggula and Ballarat galleries, and was awarded the National Art School Fellowship in 2023.

     

    Request available works / Join Joan's preview list.