'Walking Between Two Worlds' new paintings by Johnathon World Peace Bush

Johnathon World Peace Bush draws on his background as an Indigenous Tiwi Islander based on remote, traditional lands yet immersed in contemporary culture in his paintings. His work is exhibited for the first time in the UK at Frieze.

From a remote town in the Tiwi Islands with a population of 500, Johnathon World Peace Bush has been quietly painting away at the indigenous governed arts organisation Jilamara Arts since 2017. From his first solo show in 2022 at the Melbourne Art Fair, he has been a finalist in multiple art prizes and had numerous national and international group and solo shows including the Armory Show in New York.

Painted in natural pigments in the three colours of Tiwi land (white, yellow, red) Bush’s works reimagine anthropological images of Tiwi people and Colonial figureheads, often immortalised in statues, each covered in ceremonial ornaments and body paint design. Applying Western imagery alongside a Tiwi visual language that predates the Renaissance, Bush’s work reflects on the complexities of history and heritage with wry humour and subversive wit. Various accounts of his family’s historical encounters with colonial forces also feature.

“For both my Tiwi people and my global family I want culture to be strong. Without culture, we are all lost…I hold the Western and Aboriginal law in my hands for all mankind to be equal. I have to balance both laws. I hope my artwork gives a glimpse into my strong beliefs of a want for world peace and equality for all humankind: You need to fight to keep culture alive. I remember my older male ancestors saying this to me. They have all passed away now, but they have left work for me to do…it is important to link the past to the present for healthy future regeneration. Like a chain reaction. To fix up a family tree you have to go down to the roots and into the past. Love is the fruit of good family. I work for a future that is bright and where everything will be alright.” Johnathon World Peace Bush

‘Walking Between Two Worlds’ by Johnathon World Peace Bush is at Frieze No.9 Cork Street from 27 February to 16 March 2025. For more information visit thisisnofantasy.com
 

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URL: Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2888963-2?pid=6581 Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Galleries / Art Artist: Johnathon World Peace Bush