FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER ...
The first artist to arrive at Glenfiddich this summer also happens to be our first from Australia. Sydney based Joan Ross was selected for the open call held there last summer and was formally announced for the 2016 programme at the Sydney Contemporary Art fair held over four days last September. Born in Glasgow, Joan’s parents emigrated down under when she was still an infant and although she has previously returned to the ‘old country ‘ the residency will be her longest stay in Scotland since childhood.
Although her early work, for which she received much critical acclaim, focused on painting Joan has now developed a much broader range of media including print video and sculpture all of which to some extent incorporate her now almost trademark use of high visibility or fluro colours.
Often using kangaroo fur in her sculptural works, Joan is keen to try working with hides a bit more local to Scotland. And so with some assistance from our friends at Specialist Vermin Control, she has managed to acquire some red and one roe deer pelts, which she is looking to mix in with some of the kangaroo fur she brought with her to Glenfiddich.
Through her works Joan seeks to address issues of colonialism, Aboriginal rights and environmental concerns. As such it is not unsurprising that she is a keen observer of landscapes and human interaction with the environment and is looking forward to getting out and about in her new surroundings.