News and Media

20/20: Shared Visions

40 years of Contemporary Australian Art

Artbank Sydney - 20 November 2020 to 31 March 2021

Digital Catalogue available to download 

Artbank Artist Profile

Jodie Whalen  

Artbank is excited to announce a new acquisition by Sydney based multidisciplinary artist Jodie Whalen. Artbank recently invited Jodie in for a socially distanced chat about the acquisition of her work 'Sky Chamber I' and what it means as to be part of the Artbank Collection. It felt more important than ever to connect with artists inside the Artbank Collection and hear about the artists they admire, that excite them, that make them smile and that drive them to make work. 

"Artbank acquired my work a few months back, in 2020, which I have to say came at an excellent time. Like a lot of people 2020 has thrown a lot of set backs, postponements and cancelations and I found myself really not knowing what was coming next or what was coming up. So to have Artbank purchase this work was a nice grounding experience and it gave me some confidence to keep working."

Jodie Whalen

Working across experimental performance, installation video and photomedia, Whalen's work excavates the everyday, appropriating her own personal history and popular Western culture into symbolically dense immersive environments that encourage inward reflection for viewers. She draws on the concept of ritual as a signifier of the art making process and creates spaces that engage viewers in an all encompassing, multisensory cocoon. 

'Sky Chamber I' was part of a larger installation in the Create NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship at Artspace, Sydney, which incorporated collage, video and aromatic scents to create a space for the contemplation of Love. The work was also selected as a finalist for the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award 2019. This work will be available through Artbank's leasing program soon!

Thanks Jodie for coming in and sharing your story with us! 

Name: Sonya Smith

Job Title: Administration Assistant

What year did you join the Artbank team: 2019

Describe your role and what you enjoy about working for Artbank: I moved to Sydney from Brisbane with my young family and pregnant at the beginning of 2019. After over five years in legal sector I was ready for a change. I fell in love instantly with the warmth of the office and inspiration the racks of art bring. I am a great admirer of art and architecture and enjoy the creative process.

My role at Artbank is welcoming clients and taking charge of all things administration. I bring a vibrant attitude and happy nature to the front and behind the scenes of Artbank. I enjoy supporting the creatives of the Artbank team; where the office environment is accepting of differing opinions and open for individual interpretations within the pieces of work.

Select an Artwork to represent you: #14506, Tarryn Gill, Family Totem, 2017, foam, nylon, faux fur, sequins, polyester thread, plastic and glass gemstones, glass mirrors, fimo, plastic buttons

Short explanation of your artwork selection: Tarryn Gill’s, Family Totem is an exploration of her family’s ancestry and her identity. However I see it differently, as a support we each give to each other in a family and how reliant we are. It is a balancing act between the heads as with all of the facets of life which we each have to endure. Since becoming a wife and mother, whilst working and studying I have found myself trying to wear many hats all the while balancing a lot of moving parts in my life. All working parents can relate and this piece is a reminder to put yourself at the top of the totem sometimes.

Ever wondered what inspires the team at Sydney Festival?

Artbank is one of the largest collections of contemporary Australian art in the world, with over 10,000 artworks available for the public to lease. Our unique artwork rental program has proudly supported thousands of Australian artists over the last 40 years.

Working with the talented team at Sydney Festival for the last five years, Artbank has helped to keep the Sydney Festival office walls energised with fresh artworks from the extensive Artbank collection!

Take a look at the Artbank collection artworks selected by the team at Sydney Festival to inspire!

The first three selections take us to the very heart of the Australian desert with vibrant and spirited artworks by five important women from Amata Community located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in South Australia.

Puli Murpu by Ruby Tjangawa Williamson depicts the Musgrave Ranges, situated behind Amata. Williamson (1940-2014) was a Pitjantjatjara elder and one of the founding artists of Tjala Arts in Amata, South Australia. Williamson was dedicated to fostering traditional law and culture through story-telling, hunting, punu (wood) carving, dancing and painting. Known for using dotting and flat blocks of colour, Williamson also combined traditional designs with contemporary symbols to depict creation stories.

The three circles in the top of the composition of this work are kapi tjukula (rockholes), where the water collects after the rains, while the large flat plain yellow represents the mountains viewed from the sides and above. These, along with the branch of the honey grevillea are symbols that appear consistently in Williamson’s work. We can almost feel the heat off the desert sand radiating from the piece with the sweet smell of the honey Grevillia filling the canvas

Wawiriya Burton’s painting Ngayuku Ngura (My Country) 2010, tells the story of her father’s country near Pitjantjatjara, west of Amata. It depicts marsupial desert mice (mingkiri), giving birth to their many young, and traveling to the surrounding rockholes in search of food and water to feed them. Burton is a Senior artist, Ngangakari (a traditional healer) and a revered caretaker of Anangu law and culture.

Artbank is one of the first collecting institutions to support emerging artists, who at the time of acquisition are in the early stages of their career and will go on to achieve wonderful artistic triumphs. This was certainly the case for this wonderful collaboration by sisters Tjungkara Ken, Sandra Ken and Yaritji Young acquired by Artbank in 2010. Here, they have come together to paint the Seven Sisters tale, a Tjukurpa (creation story) about the constellations also known as Pleiades and Orion. The story traverses the grand expanse of sky, earth and time, telling of the creative endeavours of the seven women in their plight to escape the constant and unwanted attention of the 'lusty' Nyiru. The story follows the sisters as they are endlessly chased across sky and earth, transforming themselves; constantly trying to stay one step ahead of Nyriu's impure behaviour, magical trickery and traps.

The final work, Maranoa River Lines, is from Queensland artist Joanne Currie Nalingu. Spending her early years at the Yumba mission on the banks of the Maranoa River, Currie has strong memories of the hardships along the river, which plays an important part in the subject matter of her work. Currie has also spent time studying shield designs that belong to her Mandandanyi people and marries these with her lyrical depictions of the flowing river.

The ancient stories these paintings depict are rooted in song, dance, ceremony, bush food and traditional culture all bursting with relevance to our contemporary world, inspiring new stories and programs for the Sydney Festival team!

Get in touch with an Artbank Art Consultant today and support Australian contemporary artists.

Message a consultant today!

Artbank is a unique Government initiative supporting Australian artists and giving you an affordable opportunity to enjoy art in your home or business.

Find out more about our leasing program below - please click in the centre to view at full screen 

New Artbank selection at NISHI.

Artbank turned 40 in August 2020. As part of its celebrations, the team at Artbank has selected new works for display in our home department at the NISHI building.

Highlights include a stunning hang of early bark paintings from Arnhem Land by masters such as Lofty Bardayal Nadjamerrek from Gunbalanya (formerly Oenpelli), David Malangi from Ramingining and Djambawa Marwili from Yirrkala, and a collection of bold, playful sculptures that enliven the office. 

The digital brochure available from the link below will provide you with detailed information about each artwork, and with more information about the federal government arts support program that is Artbank.

Image: Kunmanara (nellie) Stewart, Minyma Kutjara, 2010, Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Artbank Artist Profile

One of the essential threads in my work concerns my split identity as a Chinese-Australian artist. This question of ‘split-ness’ is also an intrinsic part of the Australian psyche. The essence of Australian society is multiracial and culturally diverse. Having work like mine in the collection means that Artbank recognises the importance of presenting this diversity.  Artbank needs to be ‘broad and eccentric’ otherwise it would be a very hollow group of works.

What is your relationship to Artbank?

My work is represented in the Artbank collection. It is one of the most extensive and inclusive national collections in Australia and presents an in depth profile of contemporary Australian art. It’s a very important collection for any artist to be in.

When was your work first purchased by the Artbank Collection? Do you remember your response to that purchase? 

Art bank has been collecting my work since 1991. I was still a young artist so it was a very important boost to my confidence. Often artists work very much alone. Sometimes it’s difficult to maintain a creative practice in isolation. I remember that the purchase validated my practice. It wasn’t just about the financial support but that there was also a critical acceptance of my work.

The Artbank Collection is a broad and even eccentric collection. How would you characterise your own work? What is the importance of your work we have in collection to you or to the collection.

One of the essential threads in my work concerns my split identity as a Chinese-Australian artist. This question of ‘split-ness’ is also an intrinsic part of the Australian psyche. The essence of Australian society is multiracial and culturally diverse. Having work like mine in the collection means that Artbank recognises the importance of presenting this diversity.  Artbank needs to be ‘broad and eccentric’ otherwise it would be a very hollow group of works.

What does being in a national collection mean to you? Do you feel that your work has a connection to Australian stories?

 I studied in London as an art student for a few years in the 1970s. Curiously it wasn’t until I returned To Australia that I understood the content and the direction that my work needed to take. It was all about ‘identity’ and the nature of ‘self’. Foe me, building an authentic practice could only happen in the context of this country - Australia where all my formative experiences happened. My story.....my family’s story of transition, migration, experiences of racism and acceptance is part of the Australian story.