Johnathon World Peace Bush Biography

Johnathon World Peace Bush is a Tiwi multidisciplinary artist whose practice advocates his strong social and political views in combination with his cultural heritage. Working predominantly in paint, his works are unflinching reimaginings of scenes from Australia's colonial past in hope of an egalitarian future.

Read More

Early Years

Bush grew up in Andranganoo country (Goose Creek) on the eastern side of Melville Island in Northern Territory, Australia. His father was born in Borroloola on the mainland, whereas his mother is from Milikapiti, Melville, in the Tiwi Islands.

For many years, Bush worked as a stockman in Borroloola, herding sheep and horses. He returned to Milikapiti to be with his mother's family and daughter, where he discovered painting, after encouragement from his brother, artist Kenny Brown. Bush started working at the Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association in 2015, which launched his professional career.

Bush lives and works in Milikapiti, Tiwi Islands.

Johnathon World Peace Bush Artworks

With varied subject matter that ranges from depictions of atrocities against indigenous populations to Catholic figureheads, Bush fuses figuration with a style akin to jilamara or Tiwi body paint design. Using a consistently ochre palette, he uses natural paints in the three colours of Tiwi land — kurrujupuni (white), arrikininga (yellow) and yarringa (red).__

TIWI

In 2021, Bush's work was featured in TIWI at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Centred on the artistic output of the original inhabitants of Melville and Bathurst Islands, the exhibition comprised 153 works from the gallery's collection, 130 historical objects and contemporary pieces from across Australia.

Bush's Ngirimimpi (2017) portrayed the Tiwi creation story of Purrukuparli, or the arrival of death and the first ever pukumani (mourning) ceremony, which is a principal tenet of Tiwi culture. His large-scale ochre canvas depicts the primordial figures embracing amidst a heavily-patterned jilamara background, its title meaning 'family'.

The Last Supper and the Big Breakfast

In 2022, Bush created a series of unique paintings, textiles and a video performance for Jilamara Arts and Crafts' presentation at the Melbourne Art Fair. The large canvases featured in The Last Supper and the Big Breakfast were principally inspired by the Catholic mission on Bathurst Island in 1911, depicting religious figureheads, as in Pope Sixtus, and reimagined versions of anthropological images of Tiwi people, as in Yoyi (dance) (both 2021).

In addition, Bush's screenprint on hanky linen World Peace Tiwi Treaty (2022) combined text and jilamara style with dining chairs, petitioning for peace for the world and Tiwi alike.

Everything that came before makes the present

In 2023, Bush presented his first institutional solo exhibition at Linden New Art, Melbourne. Titled Everything that came before makes the present, the exhibition brought together 15 major works reflecting Bush's interest in the relationships between religion, colonialism, and Indigeneity. Abstract portraits executed in Bush's characteristic style with natural ochres depicted figures such as King Charles and Mona Lisa (both 2022).

The exhibition was accompanied by a new publication of the same title, with written contributions by the artist, Dr Vincent Alessi, and Will Heathcote.

Awards and Accolades

Johnathon World Peace Bush is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. He was a finalist in the 2023 Sir John Sulman Prize awarded by the Art Gallery of New South Wales for his large-scale natural pigment painting, Adam and his dad.

In 2023, Bush was also a finalist for the King & Wood Mallesons First Nations Art Award; the 61st Fisher's Ghost Art Award; and the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art.

In 2023, Bush was announced as a participating artist in Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions: My Country, a biennial mentorship and exhibition programme pairing Australian First Nations artists and designers with industry mentors. Bush is partnered with Tiwi artist Pedro Wonaeamirri. The programme culminates in an exhibition at The Ian Potter Centre, Melbourne, scheduled to open in March 2024.

Exhibitions

Johnathon World Peace Bush has been the subject of both solo exhibition and group exhibitions.

Solo exhibitions include: Everything that came before makes the present, Linden New Art, Melbourne (2023); The Last Supper and The Big Breakfast, Jilamara Arts and Crafts, Melbourne Art Fair (2022).

Group exhibitions include: ORBIT, THIS IS NO FANTASY, Melbourne (2023); WHO ARE YOU: Australian Portraiture, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra and National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2022); Retribution: What Happens Next?, Northern Centre for Contempoary Art, Darwin (2022); 15 Artists 2022, Redcliffe Art Gallery, Moreton Bay, Queensland (2022); UN/LEARNING AUSTRALIA, Artspace, Sydney and Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) (2021); Tiwi Artists, Tiwi Papers, Tarnanthi at Art Gallery South Australia, Adelaide (2021); TIWI, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2020).

Bush's works have also been presented at international art fairs including The Armory Show, New York (2023) and Melbourne Art Fair (2022).

Collections

Bush's works are held in significant collections across Australia, including at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, and University of Melbourne, among others.

His work is also in the collection of the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, the only museum outside Australia dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art.

Galleries

Johnathon World Peace Bush is represented by THIS IS NO FANTASY, Melbourne.

Annie Curtis | Ocula | 2023

Johnathon World Peace Bush in
Ocula Magazine

Learn more about the market for works
by Johnathon World Peace Bush.
Enquire for a confidential discussion. Enquire Now
Simon Fisher, Ocula CEO
Ocula Advisor
Simon Fisher
Christoper Taylor, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Christopher Taylor
Eva Fuchs, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Eva Fuchs
Rory Mitchell, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Rory Mitchell
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Follow Johnathon World Peace Bush
Stay ahead.
Receive updates on new artworks,
exhibitions and articles.
Your personal data is held in accordance with our privacy policy.
Follow
Do you have an Ocula account?
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Get Access
Join Ocula to request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Do you have an Ocula account? Login
What best describes your interest in art?

Subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming exhibitions, available works, events and more.
By clicking Sign Up or Continue with Facebook or Google, you agree to Ocula's Terms & Conditions. Your personal data is held in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for joining us. Just one more thing...
Soon you will receive an email asking you to complete registration. If you do not receive it then you can check and edit the email address you entered.
Close
Thank you for joining us.
You can now request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Close
Welcome back to Ocula
Enter your email address and password below to login.
Reset Password
Enter your email address to receive a password reset link.
Reset Link Sent
We have sent you an email containing a link to reset your password. Simply click the link and enter your new password to complete this process.
Login