Johnathon World Peace Bush
Saint Peter (El Greco) 2023
natural earth pigments/ochres on linen
Courtesy of the artist, Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association, Northern Territory, and THIS IS NO FANTASY, Melbourne
Artist statement:
Combining figuration, traditional Tiwi lines, circles, and cross-hatching, my compositions collapse religious and Tiwi iconography.
By applying Western religious imagery and inserting myself into art history narratives, alongside a Tiwi visual language that predates the Renaissance, I reflect on the multiple histories of the Tiwi and the complexities of heritage.
In adapting the work of Velazquez, El Greco and Francis Bacon, my work questions entrenched notions of the ‘Old Masters’. I throw into question the notions of ‘old’ and ‘new’ and ultimately celebrate how contemporary living Indigenous culture can be in the modern world.