Moree-based artist Jo White will hold her first solo exhibition Fibre of Being at the New England Regional Art Museum, opening on Friday, at 6pm.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
White's acrylic paintings and watercolours celebrate Australia's rural culture, communities and rituals, told through nostalgic stories of people at work, home and play.
She held her first solo exhibition at Michael Reid Murrurundi in 2017. She has exhibited at both Sydney and Melbourne's The Other Art Fair in 2016 and 2017, and at the Moree Gallery.
READ ALSO:
In Fibre of Being, White pays homage to forebears by celebrating the stories of her family and friends, and the dust-tinged tales of Australia's farming families.
Working the land; communities and families drawn together; and tin sheds in an isolated paddock all feature in White's unique style that is contemporary but draws upon historic painting styles.
The human figure, images of retro tucks, machinery, and iconic rural architecture dominate the landscape and capture an almost romantic view of life in the country not so long ago.
White's own history, her childhood growing up on a sheep and broadacre farm, is intertwined with a more universal sense of a recent past that is distinctly Australian.
"While these works are personal to Jo's own life, they also resonate broadly with many people," said NERAM director Rachael Parsons.
"I think that for anyone who has grown up in regional Australia, there will be automatic recognition and connections to their own experiences, and for those of us who come from the city, the works evoke what we always imagined idyllic country life to be like.
"People in the country are struggling with prolonged drought. This body of work presents an unaffected view, and perhaps provides an antithesis to the struggles. If nothing else, it celebrates the strong tradition of farming in Australia, and reminds us of the people, families, and communities who have built this industry, and are doing it tough."
The exhibition Fibre of Being will be on display at NERAM from Friday 22 March until Sunday 28 April.