Jane GillingsPractising Australian artist for over 30 years, Jane Gillings has a wide visual arts practice which includes painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and everything in between. Although she is generally recognised as a sculptor, her curiosity often leads her to pursue a variety of creative avenues.
Her sculpture is often made from discarded components and objects to create conceptual installations and visual puzzles that focus on the need to hold on to memory and minimise loss. Her work is guided by the material she uses which is sometimes altered to become a ghost of what it once was, yet maintaining enough integrity to be recognisable. Often her work uses metaphor to create ambiguous meaning and can be interpreted from a number of viewpoints. She has a deep connection with the Avoca Beach community in which she lives will often open her studio for collaborative workshops, community classes, creative get-togethers and weekly after school classes and private one on one sessions. Jane’s experience as an educator is wide and varied, having worked with young and old alike in settings such as the Art Gallery NSW, National Art School, NSW Dept. of Education, Australian Museum, NGO’s, Universities, hospitals, local councils, private colleges and schools. She has worked with people with different abilities, at risk, mental health issues, homelessness and drug and alcohol issues. She has been a finalist in a number of outdoor sculpture exhibitions including Sculpture at Scenic World, Sculpture at Sawmillers, Sculpture in the Vineyards, Willoughby Sculpture prize, North Sydney Art Prize, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Hidden at Rookwood and at Sculpture by The Sea where she has exhibited 12 times. She was awarded Kids Choice at Sculpture by the Sea in 2009, and second in the Kids choice voting in 2017 as well at the NSW Art Gallery Volunteer Task force award and staff choice. She was commended for her work in Hidden at Rookwood in 2017. Her work is sought-after for public and private permanent and ephemeral commissions and collections including Dolby Sound Australia, Parramatta Council, Brookfield Australia, Royal North Shore Hospital, The Galeries Victoria and M&C Saatchi Sydney, ABC Radio, Darling Quarter and Darling Harbour, Macquarie University, Westfield Doncaster, Mona Farm Braidwood and Parley Adidas in 2018 for the Commonwealth games on the Gold Coast. She was recently commissioned by The Botanic Gardens in Sydney to create a collection of rainforest plants and animals for their “Alchemy of a Rainforest” exhibition in the Calyx building which will continue until 2026. |
Studio location and contact details |