Exhibitions
An archive of recent exhibitions.
Recent Exhibitions
‘Terrain’ | 2024
Ipswich Art Gallery
‘Terrain’ was exhibited in the Ipswich Community Gallery from 21 November to 1 December 2024, with an Artist Meet and Greet occurring on Saturday 23 November. In its second iteration, the group exhibition once again brought together Ceramics Students, Staff and Alumni from the University of Southern Queensland.
Terrain presented the thematic exploration of the environmental, urban and domestic landscapes through ceramics. With new works by Jennifer Baker, Peta Berghofer, Aurora Elwell, Kirsti Falconer, Rose Loredo, Rachel North, Jane Orme, Peter Osborn, Johanna Park and David Usher.
‘Terrain presents the thematic exploration of terrains associated with the environmental, urban and domestic landscapes through the ceramic works of 10 visual artists. The works in this exhibition link the students, staff and alumni of UniSQ together and illustrate the diverse nature of the artists’ practices, each with a varying degree of experience and form of expression in terrains both physical and conceptual. Each artist draws on a variety of ceramic materials, construction methods and firing techniques to communicate their interpretation of the theme through layers of meaning, narrative and ideas that interact with and complement the works of each artist within the collective. Terrain invites viewers to consider how they interpret the terrains of their material and metaphysical existence in their own world.’
(photography: Aurora Elwell)
‘Existing in Space, Dwelling in Memory’ | 2024
UniSQ A Block Gallery, Toowoomba
‘Existing in Space, Dwelling in Memory’ was a solo exhibition on show from 21 June to 2 August 2024 in the University of Southern Queensland’s Arts Gallery, A Block Toowoomba Campus. The exhibition displayed work created alongside the written research requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy with Creative Works component. It accompanied the thesis titled ‘When Buildings Remember: How Art Can Reclaim Architectural Memory’, submitted the same day the exhibition opened.
‘Existing in Space, Dwelling in Memory is the culmination of Johanna Park’s PhD research. Her work embodies the transformative ability of artmaking to reclaim and sustain memories in the wake of contemporary architectural destruction and development. Johanna explores the idea of existence as memories created through the experience of architectural space and preserved through artmaking.’
Read an Abstract excerpt from the thesis that accompanied the practice-led research of the exhibition below:
‘This research represents a recognition of how memory is tied to place, to establish the ability of art to enhance and embody this understanding within academic discourse. It explores the potential for art at the intersection of personal memory and sense of place in the built environment. Through this research a distinctive role for the contemporary artist will be defined, one that is driven by a desire to productively contribute to the issues that arise from living in an everchanging built environment, and through this process address the escalating forgetfulness of contemporary culture.’
(photography: Theresa Hall)
‘Terrain’ | 2024
Rosalie Gallery, Goombungee
The first iteration of ‘Terrain’ was shown at the Rosalie Gallery in Goombungee, part of the network of Toowoomba Region Art Galleries. The group exhibition ran from 7 February to 3 March 2024.
‘Terrain brings together ceramic work by ten students, lecturers and alumni of the University of Southern Queensland. The exhibition illustrates the breadth of possibility offered by the medium of clay both conceptually and in terms of process.’
Participating ceramicists included Johanna Park, Jane Orme, Peta Berghofer, Jennifer Baker, Kerrie Browning, Aurora Elwell, Rosemaree Loredo, Rachel North, Peter Osborn and David Usher.
For the 20 days the exhibition was open to the public, a total of 235 people visited the gallery, while 84 patrons attended the Artist in Conversation event. The works were well received, with notable comments including:
‘Loved it all - wonderful combination of artists.’
‘Stunning exhibition. So much to interpret in each piece that reflects to the everyday.’
‘Terrain is excellent. Great to see such a wide range of different styles and techniques.’
‘Wonderful exhibition! Loved taking the time to drink it all in.’
The exhibition was featured in a number of sites and publications, including the Toowoomba Region, The Field Guide Toowoomba, The Oakey Champion, and Style Guide Magazine.
(photography: Theresa Hall)
‘Soil and Mortar’ | 2024
Warwick Art Gallery
The duo exhibition ‘Soil and Mortar’ was exhibited at the Warwick Art Gallery from 15 February to 23 March 2024, with an opening event on Friday 16 February opened by Associate Professor Kyle Jenkins from the University of Southern Queensland.
‘This exhibition presents the visual outcomes from the research projects of Peter Osborn and Johanna Park, from the School of Creative Arts at the University of Southern Queensland. Through expressing human interaction with the natural landscape and the built environment, they explore the inherent influence of continuous change upon both realms.’
Over the 28 days the exhibition was open to the public it welcomed 815 visitors. On behalf of the Management Committee of Warwick Art Gallery the Gallery Director Karina Devine wrote in her report on the exhibition:
‘Soil and Mortar was an astounding exhibition representing your unique interrogations of the landscape and our relationship to it. It is so vital that we present work by contemporary artists to our audience for idea exchange and inspiration. That we have artists such as you in our region makes us feel very fortunate. We appreciated your willingness to participate in the install and how beautifully you curated the work in conjunction with each other and in our space. ‘
(photography: Johanna Park & Don Hildred)
‘Time in Place’ | 2023
UniSQ A Block Gallery, Toowoomba
The duo exhibition ‘Time in Place’ was exhibited in the A Block Foyer Gallery at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba from 3 to 26 May 2023. Representing a shared exploration into the interaction of time with place, the exhibition included drawings and paintings together with collaborative ceramic works by Johanna Park and Peter Osborn.
‘Time in Place represents a synthesis of the creative research outputs of PhD candidates Peter Osborn and Johanna Park. The duo exhibition explores a shared interest in the influence of time upon both the natural and built environments, exploring how our experience of time visually manifests within seemingly disparate spatial contexts.’
The collaborative ceramic installation at the centre of the exhibition expresses the flow of time that sees the built environment of humanity gradually overtaken by the natural world. In the words of Peter Osborn:
‘Johanna’s ceramic pieces of arches, steps and other building elements are placed within a tide of Peter’s ceramic work that are glazed with soil and old mortar mixes. The found mortar has been used to create the crystalline white, green and blue texture finishes suggesting the entropic reaction of manmade material with the natural world. The contradiction of humanity’s efforts to temper the temporal forces of nature are placed against the inevitable overcoming…’
The opening event on the evening of Friday 5 May featured a Q and A session with the two artists facilitated by Dr Alexandra Lawson.
(photography: Theresa Hall)
‘I’m Picking Up (What You’re Putting Down)’ | 2023
UniSQ A Block Gallery, Toowoomba
‘I’m Picking Up (What You’re Putting Down)’ was a group exhibition which ran from 5 to 28 April 2023 in the A Block Gallery at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba. An opening event was held on the evening of Friday 14 April.
‘I’m Picking Up (What You’re Putting Down) is a collaborative group exhibition by Toowoomba based artists, Emily Young, Johanna Park, Catherine Parker and Peta Berghofer. Utilising a framework of reciprocal making, each artist will create work in response to their colleague’s as an inquiry into the experimental possibilities of their shared studio space.’
As part of the exhibition brief, a total of 16 artworks were completed for the exhibition. Each artist made one new, independent artwork that the 3 other group members then responded to in the form of a new artwork. Artists therefore made 4 works each: 1 original artwork and 3 response artworks.
(photography: Theresa Hall)
‘Gravitas’ | 2022
Brouhaha Gallery, Toowoomba
‘Gravitas’ was a solo exhibition by Johanna Park at the Brouhaha Gallery at Banter Coffee Kitchen in Toowoomba. It ran from 14 February to 2 April 2022. It featured a temporary acrylic window painting titled ‘The Gravitas of Familiar Places’.
‘Gravitas is an ongoing series of works about everyday spaces with a particular focus on graffiti. The name of the exhibition draws a playful and somewhat ironic connection between graffiti and the word gravitas: a solemn word used to convey something deserving of honour or respect. My artistic practice explores the connection we have with the built environment – specifically our experiences within these everyday architectural spaces and how they imbue and subsequently transform the mundane over time.
Through my art I’ve gradually come to view graffiti in a different light, thinking more about the memories and motivations behind the works that might challenge preconceptions. These presence-traces, that are left behind by real people, tread an interesting line between private and public art. What interests me most about graffiti is how it expresses a common thread of connection between urban architectural environments globally.
Ultimately this is a series of drawings on paper about drawings on buildings, I invite you to look and consider the gravity of everyday places and the people within.’
(photography: Johanna Park)