Jumaadi, A Wedding Gown, 2021-22. Acrylic on buffalo hide, 100 x 70cm. Courtesy: the artist and Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney.

This is the first in a new series of exhibitions presented by Manly Art Gallery & Museum working with contemporary artists to help re-define our understanding of the diverse communities that now call the Northern Beaches home. Indonesian born artist Jumaadi, recently moved his Sydney studio to Brookvale, the industrial, and increasingly cultural, heartland of the Northern Beaches.

Jumaadi’s practice explores themes such as love, nature, belonging, migration, and displacement while frequently drawing on his own experiences as an immigrant living in Australia. His art is deeply rooted in his Indonesian heritage, and often incorporates traditional motifs and symbols in the works – demonstrating the power of cross-cultural collaboration and the ability of art to transcend borders and boundaries.

This new project for MAG&M is conceived in three parts. The first is a selection of paintings exploring the themes of migration, connection, nature, and love through the use of motifs such as flora, fauna, clothing, and the figure.

The second part consists of a series of watercolour drawings, created in his Brookvale studio, in which the symbol of the plant acts as a metaphor for connections and diversity within human communities.  The work alludes to a dependence between people, plants, and animals, which all rely on each other for survival.

The third section of the exhibition will be focussed on community engagement – an installation and participation space. Using Jumaadi’s wall-based art as a framework, the audience will be invited to create and add their own cut-out elements to a collaboratively constructed visual narrative.

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