In this episode of Talking With Creatives, Jennifer sits down with photographer, emerging curator, and community arts advocate Warwick Gow– an artist whose work bridges the margins and the maintstream.

Drawing from a DIY ethos, Warwick’s background in journalism and role in Creative Development at Sunshine Coast Council, sees Warwick’s practice spanning portraiture, documentary photography, and the co-founding of LANTANA Space, a hub for experiemental and inclusive arts programming in regional Queensland.

Together, we explore how fringe communities, raw storytelling, and subcultural spaces influence Warwick’s creative voice, and how these worlds can inspire a more connected, courageous and inclusive regional arts scene.

From building trust with photographic subjects, to championing opportunities for people of all abilities and walks of life, Warwick’s work reminds us that creativity thrives when everyone feels seen, heard and valued.

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Warwick Gow is a Sunshine Coast based artist, art worker and co-founder of LANTANA Space. Warwick’s arts practice is primarily based in photography and installation, using the portrait to place local fringe culture within arm’s length of the mainstream.

Destabilising notions of representation, elevating unique identities and that of the self by hijacking the thin veil of commercialism and elegantly smashing it against a DIY ethic. This ethos carries through into Warwick’s approach as an arts worker as part of Sunshine Coast Council’s Creative Development Team, and also into their emerging practice as an independent curator in a regional setting.

For more information, please visit warwickgow.com and www.lantanaspace.com

Featured Image: Warwick Gow, self portrait as part of ‘From Out of the Home’ series for SUPERCUT Outer Space, Brisbane in 2022. Courtesy of the artist.

Note: The artwork shown here may appear styled by the website theme and is not indicative of the artist’s vision.

In this episode of Talking With Creatives, Australian artist Juan Ford reflects on his journey from computer engineering to hyperreal painting. He shares how reconnecting with nature grounds his practice and explores what it means to be human in a fragile environment- where art becomes both mirror and message.

A thoughtful conversation about creativity, environmental awareness, and the human condition through the lens of one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary artists.

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Juan Ford is one of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary artists. Since the early stages of his painting career, Juan has employed photorealistic modes of representation that have come to characterise his practice. Through his evolving exploration of the fraught relationship between humans and the natural environment, Juan has developed a reputation for pushing boundaries and challenging genres, while remaining deeply connected to traditional painting techniques.

Having staged more than 36 solo exhibitions, 161 group exhibitions, and having featured in major institutions including the National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, and QAGOMA, Juan’s works are held in national collections including Artbank, the NGV, and the Parliament of Victoria- to name just a few. Juan has received multiple accolades throughout his more than 20year career, including the Fletcher Jones Contemporary Art Prize.

For more information, please visit juanford.com

Represented by michaelreid.com : thisisnofantasy.com : galeriedumonde.com

Featured Image: Juan Ford, Sentinel, 2018, oil on linen, 90 x 75cm.

Note: The artwork shown here may appear styled by the website theme and is not indicative of the artist’s vision.