5 Creative Questions with… Joan Ross

Sometimes, I'm blown away by what I can have for free, what I can just take - and what I was able to take in, all for nothing, on 26 January 2025 (Australia Day, notably), was Joan Ross' exhibition: Those trees came back to me in my dreams. Joan's works address the themes of colonialism, of taking, of a natural world in peril - of what it is to possess and to be dispossessed. It all spoke to me: the retina-searing signature fluorescent yellow; some paintings on highly unconventional surfaces; the works drawing attention to the type of uncomfortable lessons that somehow were often missing from Australian school curriculums; and the curatorial statement the strangeness of seeking to possess anything at all. (This stuck with me: once we own something... then what?)

I had the pleasure of meeting Joan at her artist talk at her current show, Heads or Tails at N. Smith Gallery, where she explained how she doesn't overwork paintings; how she stops once the work is doing what she intends it to do. She discussed the small details - how the notes sung by a troubled bird are those of 'What A Wonderful World'; how a decapitated bird may have its head trapped in a woman's cameo. My favourite piece reveals a man walking away from a denuded landscape, having stolen all of its butterflies in a box. It's a pleasure to look at, a joy - and it's devastating, too.

Joan Ross. Photograph: Cara O'Dowd

Joan Ross is the 47th in my series of creatives to take five questions.

When my creative process is stuck, I reach for... a few days of meditation.

The weirdest thing about being a creative human is... expectations and how much time you need just staring at water.

The most unusual object in my house is... a bowl of fake noodle soup next to fake toast with a smiley face on it.

I celebrate my achievements by... going to an island snorkelling.

Something in the world that already exists that I wish I had created is... I’m not so sure I wish I had created them but I really love chairs on casters that spin and dental floss and penicillin!

Joan Ross' show Heads or Tails is on view at N. Smith Gallery and online until 31 May 2025. Her portrait of one of her curators, Coby Edgar, is on view at the Archibald Prize until 17 August 2025. Find out more about Joan at her website and follow her on Instagram.