Johnathon World Peace Bush exhibits at Frieze No. 9 Cork Street

This Is No Fantasy (VIC) and Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association (NT) present Walking Between Two Worlds: an exhibition of bold, gestural paintings by First Nations Australian artist, poet and human rights activist Johnathon World Peace Bush. This powerful solo show will be held at Frieze No.9 Cork Street in London from 27 February to 16 March 2025.

A Tiwi Islander from Melville Island, Bush’s work combines his deep connection to his heritage with observations on the modern world. Using natural pigments in the three colours of  Tiwi land – white, yellow, and red – his paintings reimagine anthropological images of Tiwi people and Catholic figureheads, adorned with ceremonial body paint and ornaments. These works reflect on the complex history of the Tiwi people, particularly their encounters with colonial forces, including the establishment of a Catholic mission on Bathurst Island in 1911.

Bush’s practice fuses Tiwi visual language, which predates the Renaissance, with Western religious imagery, questioning mainstream assumptions and reflecting on contemporary Indigenous identity. His works serve as a powerful commentary on the ongoing fight for recognition and the preservation of culture.

In 2024 Bush was a finalist in the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards (NATSIAA), the Geelong Contemporary Art Prize, and the 68th Blake Prize. In 2023 Bush was a finalist in the Sir John Sulman Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the King & Wood Mallesons First Nations Art Award, and the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art 2023.

Bush’s work is held in major collections such as Kluge-Ruhe Art Museum, Virginia, USA; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; and Art Gallery of South Australia.

Visit Frieze No 9 Cork Street.