On display at the National Portrait Gallery, Joan Ross: Those Trees Came Back to Me in My Dreams is a vibrant and thought-provoking exhibition that invites viewers to rethink colonial history through the lens of contemporary art. Known for her distinctive use of collage, printmaking, sculpture, and video animation, Joan Ross combines wit, critique, and visual experimentation to explore the ongoing impacts of colonisation in Australia. Through this exhibition, Ross offers a powerful commentary on environmental, social, and cultural issues, including climate change, greed, and consumerism.
Ross’ artistic approach is centered around her signature technique of transforming scenes from colonial artworks using a digital ‘cut and paste’ method, which she often punctuates with bold fluorescent yellow accents. This striking aesthetic not only reimagines the past but highlights the tensions between history, cultural identity, and the environmental crises of the present.
For Those Trees Came Back to Me in My Dreams, Ross was invited to select portraits from the National Portrait Gallery’s collection and juxtapose them with her own artwork. The result is a dynamic exploration of how colonial art is represented and understood within cultural institutions. Ross challenges the traditional narratives embedded in these portraits, offering a provocative and re-contextualised view of history that encourages us to reconsider the stories we inherit from the past.
The exhibition also invites reflection on how cultural institutions frame and archive colonial legacies. By placing her contemporary works alongside historical portraits such as Portrait of Dr Johann Reinhold Forster and his son George Forster (c. 1780), Ross questions the dominance of colonial narratives in mainstream culture and invites viewers to confront the ways in which these stories have been preserved and presented.
Joan Ross: Those Trees Came Back to Me in My Dreams is the result of a collaborative curation between Ross, Coby Edgar, and Emma Kindred. The show thoughtfully incorporates both First Nations and non-First Nations perspectives on colonial histories, providing a more nuanced understanding of how art can interrogate and deconstruct established narratives. The exhibition highlights the importance of including diverse voices in discussions about history, identity, and culture, and aims to provoke a broader conversation about reconciliation and the ongoing legacies of colonisation.
In addition to the powerful visual works on display, Ross’ exploration of critical contemporary issues like climate change and the exploitation of natural resources underscores the relevance of her work in today’s global discourse. By connecting the past to urgent current concerns, Ross underscores how colonial histories continue to shape both our environmental landscape and our social and political frameworks.
On view at the National Portrait Gallery, Joan Ross: Those Trees Came Back to Me in My Dreams offers an unflinching reimagining of Australian history, inviting audiences to engage with the past in a way that is both contemporary and deeply critical.
Source: National Portrait Gallery
