Wrong Turn Right Place

Artist Statement:

As a regional Queensland artist, every journey to Brisbane is a visceral collision of chaos and beauty. Towering buildings, tangled roadways, and the frenetic pace of urban life often overwhelm my senses and confuse my GPS. I find myself taking wrong turns or missing on-ramps, disoriented by the visual cacophony and perfect photo opportunities I must dismiss while driving.

This work reflects that disorientation – a dense layering of colour and movement created from salvaged elements of a failed painting, repurposed and reborn. The vertical strips echo the rigid forms of high-rise buildings that dominate the city’s skyline. The materiality of the recycled tape carries the residue of past intentions, just as the city holds layers of history and memory beneath its glossy surface.

Overlaid on this chaos is the steady, winding line of the Brisbane River – painted in stark black – a grounding, ever-present force cutting through the confusion. It’s both a literal map and a metaphor for orientation, continuity, and flow. The River Cat ferries weave between wharfs depositing tourists and locals alike. Rock faces beckoning to be climbed, glimpses of water from countless vantage points and numerous bridges waiting to be crossed are constants in an otherwise fragmented visual experience.

Each visit I make includes a pilgrimage to GOMA, a space of reflection and inspiration that counters the city’s rush with calm contemplation. This work is a meditation on the journey — the physical one into the city, and the broader one as an artist — navigating uncertainty, finding rhythm in disorder, and daring to dream of one day hanging a work on those iconic gallery walls.