King Of the Toilet Rolls and His Golden Bowl (Vote for this Artwork)

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Kerry Sanders, 2020

Artist Location:
Medium: Ceramic, gold leaf, wood and paper
Dimensions: 50 x 40 x 40 cm

Artist Statement:
I have been inspired by the community response during the COVID-19 Pandemic and used this to guide my work to express ‘Decadence.’ I want to make a statement on the ‘first-world problems,’ that we live with and often refer to in Australia. Specifically, I was amazed at people’s reaction to buying up toilet paper ultimately creating a shortage. Showing the toilet roll as a decadent, but precious household item seems appropriate. The Toilet Roll became so rare and sort after in resent months, it rose to a Regal status. I used Gold Leaf on the crown and ceramic bowl to create a whimsical sculpture relating to community and its obsession with access to toilet paper and the decadent roll it played. Of course, the toilet has often also been referred to as a ‘throne’ and it’s history as a ceramic bowl is well known!

Photographer: Kerry Sanders

ATYB.1 (Vote for this Artwork)

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Petalia Humphreys, 2020

Artist Location: Peregian Beach
Medium: Acrylic on plywood
Dimensions: 60 x 60 x 10 cm

Artist Statement:
The colours of yellow and green were largely associated with the Decadent movement, the artistic and literary movement of the late 19th century. These colours feature in works of the era, including Ramon Casas’ work, whose “Decadent Young Woman (After the Dance)” 1899 holds a copy of “The Yellow Book”, a popular British periodical of the decadent “Yellow Nineties. This use of yellow and green, often partnered with greys or blacks informs my work ATYB.1. Concerned with the architecture of forms upon the painted surface, ATYB.1 is a three-dimensional painting that invites the viewer to actively participate in considering the work from multiple perspectives in the gallery space, in turn revealing visual playful shifts and transmutations.

Photographer: Petalia Humphreys

Pandora

Ange Venardos, 2020

Artist Location: Bribie Island
Medium: Watercolour
Dimensions: 110 x 100 x 10 cm

Artist Statement:
Where is the line between luxury and greed?
In Greek Mythology, Pandora let her curiosity get the better of her and opened ‘the box’. Her choice unleashed many evils into our world and triggered complicated problems. My painting tells the story of where Decadence begins – that point where we choose to plunge into an existence beyond what we need to live comfortably day by day.
It is a reminder that everything is linked. Our choices and actions may seem inconsequential, but affect the world in ways we might not even imagine.

Photographer: Ange Venardos

Group (Vote for this Artwork)

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Barbara Pierce, 2019

Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Mixed media
Dimensions: 29 x 38 x 5 cm

Artist Statement:
During the period of the current pandemic we have had isolation imposed upon us. Combining isolation at home – physically separating or distancing from each other – with restrictions on our movements has provided more time for reflection on our surroundings and circumstances.
These individual small works brought together as a group have qualities in common: restraint, separateness, a connection to shelter and each other also the use of household materials and acrylic paint. The pieces tied with string have recorded respectively the measurements of: a table top, cupboard, and window perimeters.
A stitched folded and tied piece of tablecloth secures the tongue of a shoe in one piece while collage pieces are attached to the outside of another ‘shelter’ shape. It seems decadent that the pandemic has given the luxury of time in which to contemplate our household surroundings whilst the full blown horror of it all unfolds somewhere.

Photographer: Barbara Pierce

The Dance of Decay (Vote for this Artwork)

Kaylie Jenkins, 2020

Artist Location: Danbulla
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 40.5 x 50.5 x 3.5 cm

Artist Statement:
A detournement of Thomas Couture’s 1847 masterpiece “Romans of the Decadence?”
Amidst rumours of an ancient race of elitist lizard people living among the higher echelons of human society, corrupting our governing systems. The veil is lifted.
Indulgence is born of corruption. An ‘Evil’ corruption.
Consider a necessary evil, creating balance for optimum experience and growth.
Presenting the challenge, not of resisting temptation but of moderating it. Without challenge innovation is limited. However, complete abstinence, as the opposing extreme of indulgence, is equally flawed in limiting potential and experiential growth. True self-discipline lies in the constant negotiation of individual beliefs, never lazily locking anything in, but rather being present in the decisions we make at every opportunity, acknowledging the moments that shape our existence.
The decadent cephalopod knows what I’m talking about.

Photographer: Kaylie Jenkins

Gilded Age is Gone

Cathy Condon, 2020

Artist Location: Gympie
Medium: Oil and enamel on polyester
Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 5 cm

Artist Statement:
This painting references the Gilded Age, particularly that of America’s modern history, characterized by the central motif the Fleur de Lis. I lived in New York City for two years up until April this year when I returned to Australia due to COVID-19. This painting is a personal tribute to the period of change I have lived through in recent months. It references the dichotomy I experienced as an artist working in downtown Manhattan. The decadence, grandeur and excess of America and New York City and the underlying poverty and lack of health and social systems. The breaking down of old systems is occurring and the decadent gilded age is lost. This work reflects the current state of world events i.e. the global end of an era and the start of a new world order.

Photographer: Cathy Condon

Degeneration of our coffee culture (Vote for this Artwork)

Beatrice Prost, 2020

Artist Location: Tinbeerwah
Medium: Print on canvas
Dimensions: 90 x 60 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
Where are we going with our degenerated obsession of coffee intake? It is not enough that humans pollute the world with their take away plastic cups. Now comes the era of aluminium capsules.
As I am working toward a large installation made of thousands of recycled aluminium coffee capsules, it amazes me how easy and fast it is to gather them locally. The irresponsible coffee aficionados feel good with the so call excuse that aluminium is cheap and ubiquitous, that it can be remelted ad infinitum and that the capsules can be recycled anyhow. But are they really? Have you ever tried to separate the grind from its capsule? I dare you especially when it is old and moulded. It is a messy, expensive, energy and time consuming business. A simpler way is to stop using them.

Photographer: Beatrice Prost

Outback, A Sense of Place

Katrina Goldsworthy, 2019

Artist Location: Cornubia
Medium: Watercolour and coloured pencil
Dimensions: 77 x 58 x 5 cm

Artist Statement:
OUTBACK’ A SENSE OF PLACE’ 24/7 – H20 is a Pictorial history of a Sense of Place:
A Cameleer in early 2013 found a Sensor Digital Camera in the mud at a isolated dessert spring way OUTBACK in Central Australia. (The spring is on the flood plain of the Mulligan river which runs down the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert about half way between Mt Isa and Birdsville).
The Cameleer retrieved the camera and removed the disc downloading the images to his laptop.
Who could have believed the wonder that unfolded with the menagerie of wildlife to be found all BOUND by the ‘OUTBACK’ A SENSE OF PLACE.
Please note on each image is the Provenance: you will see the Temperature/date/time in the lower right hand corner of each watercolour sketch which poses the question: Is the water hole ‘Decadence’ or ‘Survival’ or ‘Both’?

Photographer: Katrina Goldsworthy

Distancing from proficiency (Vote for this Artwork)

Ilona Demecs, 2020

Artist Location: Imbil
Medium: Hand woven tapestry
Dimensions: 80 x 60 x 0.5 cm

Artist Statement:
The first land care practices such as cool burning established congruent living conditions for thousands of years on this land. Leaving behind those custom generates unliveable physical and emotional landscapes.

Photographer: Ilona Demecs

Branch Creek Chinchilla

Helen Dennis, 2020

Artist Location: Chinchilla
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 100 x 100 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
Mother Nature’s self-indulgence and paradoxical frugality can be found throughout the Natural World that surrounds us. One season may be abundant, the next woefully lacking, subject to her whimsy.
When she chooses to be indulgent her decadence is shown in the abundant blooming of the land, the filling of the waterways and the returning of joy to all its inhabitant. When she chooses to be frugal, her decadence shows in a callous disregard for the land with cataclysmic consequences for all.
Subsequently, life for rural communities is one which swings between periods of plenty to one of austerity.
As an artist I am drawn to the decadence of Mother Nature… the patterning upon the land, within the trees and grasses, the reflections on water, the relationship between sky and ground, the negative spaces between natural objects and much more. ‘Branch Creek’ is one such place that intrigues me…

Photographer: Helen Dennis

Leaving Only Memories (Vote for this Artwork)

Tricia Reust, 2020

Artist Location: Clontarf
Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas
Dimensions: 76.5 x 76.5 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
Deteriorating farm structures I see when driving through inland areas are poignant reminders of dreams and hopes lived through and then abandoned. As more powerful elements finance extraction of minerals and water and ore from the Australian land, smaller farmers and producers are forced from this land.
The level of decadent wages and benefits enjoyed by those in power is in strong contrast to the level of earnings by those faced with bankruptcy and then ultimately the reality of losing their property.
‘Decadent’ can mean morally corrupt. It is a corrupt practice to benefit from business and banking measures that profit from misfortune.
This artwork has texture applied over acrylic on collage, with layers of charcoal.

Photographer: Mark Lutz

Pause

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Renee Yates, 2019

Artist Location: East Ipswich
Medium: Animation
Dimensions: Variable cm

Artist Statement:
Pause (2019) reflects the decadent nature of seeking stillness in a society that so often venerates the busy. A moving-image streetscape, the work invites viewers to “take a pause” and explore the intricacies of the world that are often missed in the hustle and bustle of modern life. Made in a pre-COVID world, the image’s audio-visual elements, comprising of field recordings and subtle animation of clouds, planes, birds, chimney smoke, flickering lights and falling jacaranda blooms, pull the viewers into the decadence of standing still in a suburban world. On process: a series of hand cut painted paper collages, photographs, and pastel and charcoal strokes were digitised and arranged then animated then brought to life with a field recording of Queensland suburbia.

Photographer: Renee Yates

Fraser Island

Caitlin Broderick, 2019

Artist Location: Toowoomba
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 76 x 50.5 x 3.5 cm

Artist Statement:
Standing on cascading shores, breathing in the clean, salty air, watching the waves roll gently over the turquoise seas and golden sand. This is nature’s decadence. Fraser Island is a guilty pleasure, a place of self-indulgence, where we can embrace a lifestyle that values the outdoors and appreciate the natural wonders of our Australian landscapes. Many places in Australia have lost their natural beauty, their history, their culture, as our greed for more takes away from the land in which we live. Fraser Island remains almost untouched; rich in colour, history and nature.

Photographer: Caitlin Broderick

Rainbow (Vote for this Artwork)

Aaron Chapman, 2019

Artist Location: Southport
Medium: Giclee print
Dimensions: 44 x 112 x 0 cm

Artist Statement:
In ‘Rainbow,’ the artist indulges his own memories of an Australian childhood, evoking the taste of ice-creams on summer holidays and the sound of lorikeets. Ultimately, the diptych mourns the colourful imagination of childhood innocence. ‘Rainbow’ is from Purple is Black Blooming, an ongoing series exploring themes of home, family, memory and grief primarily through the observation of suburban environments.

Photographer: Aaron Chapman

Life’s Necessities

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Joanne Taylor, 2020

Artist Location: Barcaldine
Medium: Paper pulp, box board, tissue, wax crayon, acrylic, silver leaf
Dimensions: 14 x 10 x 47 cm

Artist Statement:
Toilet paper more than any other commodity sums up for me, what’s important to ordinary people in the modern era. We all need it daily regardless of our socio-economic circumstances and it is available to everyone as required. Yet it is often the most stolen of items during tourist season in outback towns, perhaps because of its relative low value, and the perceived inability to police it’s theft.
The Corona virus crisis of 2020 has brought our first-world priorities into sharp focus in the most extraordinary way. Travel restrictions have curbed the tourist season in the outback – no “grey nomads” in their caravans. This work “Life’s Necessities,” seeks to remind us how lucky we’ve been during an era of prolonged prosperity and relative peace. Sometimes we completely lose sight of things of real necessity, of much more importance to earlier generations during times of privation.

Photographer: Donna merchant

Evanescent (Vote for this Artwork)

Josie Birchall, 2020

Artist Location: Ropeley
Medium: Oil on wood
Dimensions: 92 x 92 x 3 cm

Artist Statement:
There have been no flowers in my garden, not for years. And in these times of drought, water is used sparingly on the veggies. Purchasing a bunch of flowers from the supermarket is an act of pure self-indulgence. It’s not something I do often as I always feel guilty for doing so. It seems such a waste of money considering flowers would not be deemed a ‘necessity’ during a pandemic, and also especially since within days, the flowers wilt, die and are then gone for good. Therefore, to quote female Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907 – 1954) – “I paint flowers so they will not die”.

Photographer: Josie Birchall

Two Pair too Many (Vote for this Artwork)

Joolie Gibbs, 2020

Artist Location: Gympie
Medium: Handmade inks (bunya, Indonesian spinach, lichen) on paper
Dimensions: 32.5 x 64.5 x 0 cm

Artist Statement:
At 18 I had two pairs of shoes – thongs and sandshoes. Now I have over 40! I am reflecting on these two pairs, one made in India, the other in Thailand before I toss them out. My purchase of these shoes has added to the $250 billion footwear industry. An industry responsible for one-fifth of the environmental impacts generated by the apparel industry. The debate of who has the larger footprint (pun intended), leather or viscose or plastic, as they all lead to deforestation in critical systems, not to mention the labour violations in a not too transparent industry. Do we question where they come from or how they were produced? My decadence has caught me out. Yes, I definitely have more than two pairs of shoes too many.

Photographer: Joolie Gibbs

hoc est pulchritudinem – ac interitus et exitium

Cara-Ann Simpson, 2020

Artist Location: Toogoom
Medium: Pigment print on Ilford gold fibre gloss rag
Dimensions: 76 x 76 x 0 cm

Artist Statement:
hoc est pulchritudinem – ac interitus et exitium (this is the beauty – their destruction and decay) is from Furari Flores (Stealing Flowers) – a series of vanitas artworks exploring ephemerality and societal decay.
This series acts as a nexus between commentary on personal challenges and an outward interpretation of global news. They are an ironic reminder of the innate beauty found simultaneously in decadence and decay.
Photographed on black velvet and digitally arranged to evoke concepts inherent in medieval funerary art, this work describes the inevitable decay of life – a flower decomposing from the moment of separation from its life-giver. The spectrograph (visual analysis of soundwaves) reads the title – a reminder that while there is much beauty in the transient commodities that we immerse ourselves within, they, like life, will pass and may lead to self-destruction and demise.

Photographer: Cara-Ann Simpson

High Tea (Vote for this Artwork)

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Barbara Stephenson, 2020

Artist Location: Toowoomba
Medium: Textiles
Dimensions: 25 x 50 x 52 cm

Artist Statement:
Nothing says decadent pleasure and fun quite like the timeless ritual of a high tea. We frock up elegantly and sip champagne. Time stands still and food is elevated to an art form. Centuries ago, the ingredients of tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar and spice brought by explorers and traders from distant exotic lands to pique jaded palates. Sumptuary laws ensured these luxuries remained the decadent pleasure of the rich and influential. Today they have become an addictive everyday pleasure and their increased production is detrimental to the natural habitats of rainforests, reefs.
I have wrapped and twisted strips of discarded blankets and clothing until the soft yielding fabric takes on solid dense forms. Reminiscent perhaps of a childhood dolls’ tea party. Are they food or flowers? Cake or coral? The sugary pastel colour palette is dominated by white, reflecting on the dying beauty of bleaching coral.
Another slice of cake anyone?

Photographer: Allan Lisle

When I was the forest there was nothing I could not love, 2019 (Vote for this Artwork)

Karla Pringle, 2020

Artist Location: Ninderry
Medium: Digital print on silk with oak
Dimensions: 55 x 20 x 0.1 cm

Artist Statement:
We were paradise, the land and I. We were capitalism’s insatiable appetite. Young girls on a backdrop of everlasting sunsets. We’d conjure lightning heating oceans with our sultry bodies. Our dewy mouths gushed waterfalls over ‘virgin’ forests. This was the commodification of women, BIPOC and land. Virgins and terra nullius. Our bodies were owned and used; the land, stolen and sold. I try to re/pair relationships between bodies and environment. I use outlines of pornography re-embodied within stolen land. I’m coupling bodies with place, not as backdrops to entice consumption, but as embodied beings: connected ‘in Country’ through their relationships with living environments. I hope this contributes to change colonial disconnection and disembodied destruction, and helps to create a narrative for the engagement of sentience, connection, reverence, inter guidance, and rapport with our environment.

Photographer: Karla Pringle

Gift (Vote for this Artwork)

Judy Hammond, 2020

Artist Location: Tewantin
Medium: Acrylic and varnish on Gift Bags
Dimensions: 55 x 55 x 5 cm

Artist Statement:
Gift’ highlights the decadence of simply living on Earth, alongside Mundagudda’s (Rainbow Serpent). Her foundations are stepping stones for all living species and fauna to live in balance and harmony together.
This reminder is crucial now given the current world issues, with growing fears of uncertainty around COVID-19 and how this has escalated and shifted world power capabilities, tensions, divisions and alliances in ideologies. Here, risks of international conflict and military attacks are more vulnerable to become realities: South Sea Island disputes, Indian border conflicts and Australia’s increased diplomatic issues with China. Meanwhile, mining has increased substantially in Australia, since COVID-19 Pandemic, labelled by our government as a saviour for a declining economy, disregarding its environmental impact.
The dichotomy here is COVID-19 has also created opportunities for people to stand together about existing dominant ideologies of inequalities and injustices, exemplified by Black Live Matters (BLM).

Photographer: Judy Hammond

‘Down Down’: Are Good Things Happening (Vote for this Artwork)

Sandra Ross, 2020

Artist Location: Gympie
Medium: Mixed Media
Dimensions: 83 x 59 x 2 cm

Artist Statement:
Over 25,000 products sit on the shelves of Coles stores every day waiting for us to choose and purchase. This astonishing realisation motivated me to draw attention to the incredible excess and indulgence humans display in something considered a necessity.
Drawing upon reoccurring themes of mountainous forms in my artwork, I have used ink and watercolour on paper to paint an organic form sitting in a nest-like tangle of dead clear-felled forest. One almost lifeless tree clings precariously to the edge as a metaphor for the destruction of our environment in order to satisfy greedy desires.
Upon closer view it becomes surprising to find tiny subtle text following the contours of the organic form. Written are the names of a mere 5% of the products, further emphasising how decadent our options have become in the choices of flavour, type, colour, size and brand.
Are good things happening…

Photographer: Jazmyn Bowman

Decadent Donald (Vote for this Artwork)

Sharon Kirk, 2020

Artist Location: Barmaryee
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 61 x 90.5 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
When COVID-19 became a pandemic in early 2020 and we were all directed to stay home and isolate as much as we could, we had time to indulge in a sometimes gruesome fascination with ongoing television reports of how the pandemic was playing out around the world. This decadent self indulgence continued as I watched intently the spread of coronavirus from China to Europe then the rest of the world and the human toll escalated. Becoming a couch potato was a wanton and excessive waste of time and highly addictive.
The media’s coverage of the President of the United States of America’s response to this public health issue became increasingly unbelievable to me. President Trump appeared a narcissist with total disregard to the consequences of his seemingly decadent ideology that coronavirus could potentially be prevented by injections of bleach, and that, contrary to health advice, taking hydrochoroquine would help prevent contracting the virus.
My work is a response to this self indulgent notion by President Donald Trump which had ?invaded? my personal space as well as becoming a source of continued discussion within my ‘cyber’ community.

Photographer: Sharon Kirk

Two Boys and Two Devils – a traditional Yangkaal story from Forsyth Island (Vote for this Artwork)

John Williams, 2020

Artist Location: Gununa, Mornington Island
Medium: Acrlic on Belgian linen
Dimensions: 102 x 102 x 2 cm

Artist Statement:
This Traditional story tells about how greediness and disrespect always come back to bite you on the bum. This is a cautionary tale and is also one of the important dances and songs of the Lardil people here on Mornington Island.

Two Boys and Two Devils – a traditional Yangkaal story from Forsyth Island
A long time ago on Gurraben Reef off Forsyth Island, two little boys were making a fire with firesticks. Up above, two malgarn (devil-birds) were singing out, “Wii!”
The two boys heard them and mocked them, singing out, “Wii!”
The two malgarn again sang out, “Wii!”
And the two boys again copied them – “Wii!”
Then the malgarn sang out louder, “Wii!”
And the two boys again copied them – “Wii!”
And again, the malgarn sang out even louder, “Wii!”
And again, the two boys copied them, singing out even louder, “Wii!”
The malgarn jumped down and grabbed those two boys and wrapped them up in a net. They dragged the net south onto a sandbank. One malgarn said, “Come over here, let the two boys lay down there in the net. You and I can go to the point and make some firesticks.”They left the boys tied up in the net near the ocean in the south-west and went to the north-east to try and make a fire to cook them.
The malgarn rubbed their firesticks, jila, jila, jila, jila! They started to get fire. They rubbed again, but the fire wouldn’t start. Maltha (nothing). Meanwhile, the two boys were still on the sandbank, struggling to escape from the net.
“Have you got anything like a knife or tomahawk to cut this net?” asked one boy. “No,” replied the other boy, “but look! I’ve got a bottle here beside me!” “Well, that’s alright,” said the first boy, “Go on, cut it with the bottle!” So, he tore and cut at the net until he made his way out.
The first boy was still inside, looking to see how far away the malgarn are. He was worried they would see them escape. The other boy reassured him, “They’re far away, far off to the east.”
“You go out first, then I’ll come out after you.” The first boy came out then and together they rolled down the sandbank. Rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, right into the saltwater. They swam and they swam, all the way west back to Forsyth Island. The two malgarn were still trying to make fire.
“Right,” said one, “Go and get them now. We’ll eat while it’s still light.” The other malgarn went and looked. He called out “Hey, there’s nothing here! No boys! They’ve gone!” “Get them!” said the first malgarn, “Don’t hide them! I won’t give you any. Get my food!” “They’re not here,” said the other one, “Look, there’s nothing!”
“Get them! Don’t hide that food of mine. I want to eat them. Don’t hide them for no reason!” “They’re not here! You look for them!” The first, malgarn started heading to the north-east, ready for a fight. He picked up the net and looked in every corner. The two boys were really gone.
Of course, the two malgarn blamed each other for losing the boys. And then of course they started fighting. They fought each other all over the place – in the west and north and south and east. While they were fighting shooting stars fell down into the ocean. Well, when they finally had enough of fighting, the two malgarn thought that maybe they should try looking for the boys.
“Come on, you go to the north side and I’ll go to the south side.” While they were looking, they sang a song in Yangkaal. “Danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra. Danda warrirr!”
After a while two malgarn still hadn’t found any sign of the two boys. They took off and flew over Robert Island and back to Forsyth Island in search of the boys. They landed on a sandbank at Marragadba, wandered around to the west and did durlda (shit) there. The people saw those malgarn in the west and quickly sent the boys to the east side. But then the malgarn went east too. “Here they are on the east side, wandering around. Hide the children, those boys. Hide them all!”
They did their best to hide the children, but the malgarn must have heard them, because next thing they flew over and landed right there in the middle of the people’s camp. The malgarn asked the people, “Are our good ones here? The ones who ran here a little while ago?” “We don’t have anyone,” the people replied. “Don’t hide them! Don’t hide them! yelled the malgarn. “Get my devil’s children! Get my children!”
The people were worried, so they bring out one little child to offer to the malgarn. “This is the one, right? This one?” “No, that one’s bad, he has a big stomach. That one’s yours, he’s bad.”
They brought out another child. “Is it this one?” “That one’s bad too. He’s bad, with a skinny body.”
They brought out two more children. “How about these two?” “No, those are your bad ones, leave them. Those are bad, they’ve got skinny bodies.”
They brought out two more children. “How about these two?” “No, those are your bad ones, leave them. Those are bad, they’ve got skinny bodies.” The malgarn explained exactly what they were looking for. Eventually the people were forced to bring out the two boys who had escaped from the devils’ net. “How about these two people?”
“Yes, those are ours,” the malgarn said. “Bring them up!” Well, the people weren’t so silly as to give their boys away that easily. “Righto!” said one of the men, “Before you take these boys, go over there and shake-a-leg.” The malgarn started to shake-a-leg, because by now they were ready to do anything to be able to eat those two delicious boys. But the people continued with their plan …
“Go on, put your legs wider apart,” they said. “Open your legs.” The two malgarn opened their legs wider still, and the men all speared them. The malgarn were writhing in pain. And then they flew straight up into the sky with the white spears sticking out behind them. And they kept on going up until they disappeared out of sight.

Photographer: MIART Mornington Island Art

Mad Max Dollhouse (Vote for this Artwork)

Julie Purcell, 2019

Artist Location: Kippa-Ring
Medium: Oil on cupboard doors
Dimensions: 41.5 x 90 x 0.5 cm

Artist Statement:
Visiting our property at Beebo is like stepping into a dystopian future with no mainstream power or utilities. Through the 1980s my Grandfather lived there in an almost pre-modern way. Over the years small improvements were made to create a more comfortable space with a few mod cons. After Grandad’s passing my family inherited the property and cottage and we added more homely touches. Dad installed a hot water system making washing up a lot easier and we now use a gas powered stove and solar powered refrigerator. The cottage provides a man made space of controlled comfort within a beautiful yet impersonal natural bush setting. This ascetic space reminds me that simple developments grant so much convenience and pleasure. Light, refrigeration and clean running water are essential – all else, including the box of home brew depicted, is vanity!

Photographer: Julie Purcell

Goodness #108

Fiona Quin, 2020

Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Digital print
Dimensions: 58.9 x 83.6 x 0.5 cm

Artist Statement:
In today’s world we rush from here to there, wanting this and that, and never stopping. We take vitamins, supplements, and pills for that instant relief and quick fix with a casual disregard of the consequences. Our western society has become decadent and self-indulgent in looking after our body, health, and wellbeing.
This artwork, Goodness #108, illustrates how the “health” supplement industry has decayed our understanding of health and goodness through the take-one-a-day pill advice.
By combining digital art, photography, and graphic design techniques, I hope to convey this current state of social decadence through the lens of a magazine cover, itself a decadent medium in its short-term use of natural resources such as paper.

Photographer: Fiona Quin

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things

Grant Quinn, 2020

Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Digital photograph
Dimensions: 73 x 58 x 1 cm

Artist Statement:
With a passion for collecting, my decadent obsession started many years ago after being gifted a Wedgwood Gravy Boat by my Grandmother. I still have that gravy boat, sitting front and centre in my dining room display cabinet, but little was I to know that this simple gravy boat would lead to a life time of becoming a ‘mad collector’, driving miles in the search for that next bargain. Before I knew it, I became one of the torch light brigade bargain hunters, scouring markets, fairs and garage sales well before the sun came up. Seeking out that elusive piece to add to my already overflowing abundant decadent obsession.

Photographer: Grant Quinn

Decadence and Decay

Tracey Lloyd, 2020

Artist Location: Deception Bay
Medium: Digital Print
Dimensions: 59 x 84 x 1 cm

Artist Statement:
Tracey Lloyd is a digital artist and historic fiction writer living in Deception Bay. Her work is based on manipulation of photographs taken by her, normally during research trips for her historic fiction.
Decadence and Decay explores the meaning of architecture to humanity. Decadence and Decay asks the viewer to consider the relationship between our selves and the buildings that surround us. Through the positioning of a woman in a bridal gown in front of a red brick archway in the grounds of the former 19th Century lunatic asylum at Callan Park, Sydney, the artwork explores how areas formerly known for cruel treatment of vulnerable people are now used for celebrations of humanity, such as weddings.

Photographer: Tracey Lloyd

THE PHOTO SHOOT (Vote for this Artwork)

Janice Ford, 2020

Artist Location: Rockhampton
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 76 x 51 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
Australia has recently suffered from intense bush fires which resulted in many deaths and the devastation of the landscape. Smoke, ash and blackened trees were a common sight.
But some people in the fashion industry could see this as a wonderful backdrop for a fashion shoot.
So they fly in with their glamorous models, exotic animals and haute couture garments.
They stay just long enough to take amazing photos and then they fly out, totally oblivious to all the suffering associated with the fires.
The red dress represents the flames.
The exotic animal is in contrast to the native creatures that died in the fires.
The red and green feathers in the head dress represent the birds that were in the bush and the colour of the leaves before the fires.

Photographer: Simon Cox

Postcode (study three) (Vote for this Artwork)

Barbara Pierce, 2020

Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Acrylic and collage on stitched canvas
Dimensions: 21 x 81 x 1 cm

Artist Statement:
Everything originates from – or is contained within – a landscape. Postcodes are used as a unique identifier of place within a given landscape. This doorstep sized work with landscape qualities has been created with colourful areas contained within ‘Postcode’ rectangles on a ‘coal black’ ground. The canvas has been cut and stitched – mended – before painting. Each rectangle contains pieces of photographs: imagery of the environment near where I live.
Building more fossil fuel infrastructure and indulging in the economic benefits whilst ignoring environmental concerns can be viewed as an act of decadence. Mining for coal provides an immediate solution for employment while at the same time poses a very real threat to the environment and global societies in the long term.
In the colourful tropical north we currently have Adani mining the natural habitat not far from our doorstep. It could be said that decadence has a postcode.

Photographer: Barbara Pierce

Mottlecah, Eucalyptus macrocarpa study

Jenny Gilbertson, 2020

Artist Location: Bundaberg
Medium: Pencil on paper
Dimensions: 19 x 93.5 x 6 cm

Artist Statement:
In-your-face opulence; a visual stunner! That’s how I remember my first encounter with Eucalyptus macrocarpa, or Mottlecah. Innumerable encounters later this tough, ungainly beauty still stops me in my tracks. If I could grow it in my garden I would. Geometric spirals of tightly packed blue grey leaves spread in patches along dark spindly branches, winding towards the sky and trailing downwards. Soft white velvet fur on each new leaf contrasts with a smooth sharpness as they age. And the flowers; the shear size of them is astounding! They burst from their enormous gumnut cocoons as vibrant flashes of red, tipped with yellow pollen. Luscious. This indulgent display in a harsh, dry landscape seems to sing of absolute joy in being: a show of decadence even when things are tough.

Photographer: Jenny Gilbertson

I am here (Vote for this Artwork)

Gayle Fleming, 2020

Artist Location: Goodna
Medium: Acrylic on paper
Dimensions: 29.7 x 21 x 0 cm

Artist Statement:
I am a late bloomer in the world of visual art. I am a self taught painter. I find with every piece a huge learning experience, and I am eager to develop my work. Acrylic, ink, pencil and watercolour is the medium I use. Line, shape, form and blending colours create my light free flowing style. Margaret Olley is one of my favourite artists as she reflected an influencers lifestyle that I feel I can connect with. My art depicts a vibracy in plant form and flora. Connecting with nature is my desire, as it is good medicine for my soul.
For this piece, I have changed my subject and technique to produce a more abstract illusion with a message that’s thought provoking and gripping for the viewer. Our personal connections between family and friends is what gives our life meaning. Although our indulgence and obsession with screens makes us all disconnected.

Photographer: Gayle Fleming

Me Time

Emma Thorp, 2020

Artist Location: Hervey Bay
Medium: Coloured Pencil over Acrylic on Paper
Dimensions: 69 x 47 x 0.29 cm

Artist Statement:
I happened upon a moment of awareness when I was being the typical martyr mother, sacrificing my own mental and emotional health to be what I thought was the best Mum I could be. I realised that I was not modelling a healthy balanced life for my children. I realised that making time for myself to feel fulfilled and happy made me a better mother and my children more independent. Here I am reading, surrounded by piles of washing, feeling oh so rebellious and decadent, safe in the knowledge that the washing will wait.

Photographer: Emma Thorp

Decadence Ruins (Vote for this Artwork)

Chelle McIntyre, 2020

Artist Location: Toowoomba
Medium: Disgarded plywood and oak veneer assemblage with wax
Dimensions: 70 x 80 x 3 cm

Artist Statement:
Humans maintain a rage against nature through demand and desire, a hungry appetite fed by the machine that rumbles on, making money out of making stuff. Environment is under pressure yet we persevere in the pursuit for more, forsaking the natural world for industrial progress and material prosperity. As a horticulturalist, I have been moved by changes in our weather systems and the on-going disrespect for trees, our aquifers and their contribution to planet. 2019 was another dry time in my region, without rain old established trees were dying and the hottest season ended in the new year’s summer of fires across the country. Nature and forests are my true decadence, an escape from a hectic, manufactured world to another where the wealth of life and growth perhaps may soon be rare and then finally appreciated. This memory of trees was salvaged from processed, discarded wood.

Photographer: Don Hildred

Butterfly frenzy (Vote for this Artwork)

Tarja Ahokas, 2020

Artist Location: Ninderry
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 51 x 40.5 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
Earlier this year there were butterflies everywhere. It was an event that happens once in 10 years.
Butterflies symbolise hope and hope is what we needed after the horrendous bushfires and floods. Then COVID 19 hit us all like a sledge hammer.
Many people turned to drink, eroding their mental and economic wellbeing even further. Cracks started forming in the fabric of our society. That was their decadence.
My decadence is bottling the butterflies and indulging in hope.

Photographer: Tarja Ahokas

Sensuous Decadence (Vote for this Artwork)

Kuweni Dias Mendis, 2020

Artist Location: Beechmont
Medium: Pastel on Paper
Dimensions: 70 x 50 x 1 cm

Artist Statement:
In Beechmont we do not have town water, we fill up our tanks with mostly rainwater. Baths and Showers are a luxury to have as the water we collect over the year we save for our more essential tasks such as drinking, cooking and washing, later the grey water is used on our food forests.
The water holes and waterfalls are a sensuous decadence. All year around we have access to an abundance of waterways that is flourishing, thriving and overflowing; it’s an indulgence on the hum of our mountain.
We are surrounded by the unassuming Back Creek Gorge, which has been slowly carved on to the mountain over many million years. This Creek later links to the Coomera River then en-routes to the Sea. Before it meets the sea it falls six times as Killarney Falls, Lips Falls, Twin Falls, Cavern Falls, Rainbow Falls and Denham Falls.

Photographer: Louis Lim

Ya grill gleamin’ (Vote for this Artwork)

Second Image of Artwork

Hilary Coulter, 2020

Artist Location: Wandoan
Medium: Cotton, embroidery thread, water colour
Dimensions: 8 x 23 x 15 cm

Artist Statement:
In 2020 decadence is the space and freedom to move. However in the absence of that freedom, decadence is status. Grillz, a lavish form of dental jewellery worn over the teeth, have been a universal symbol of status, wealth and power for thousands of years with the first evidence of grillz dating as early as 2500BC. Since this date grillz have been found in the remains of ancient civilisations from a variety of countries including Egypt, Mexico, the Philippines and Italy. More recently they have been popular in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but endorsements from American hip hop and rap artists including Slick Rick and Nelly cemented their place as 21st century status symbols. Symbols of not only wealth but materialistic hedonism, these gleaming grins are literally muzzled by COVID-19 face mask obligations. Next on the consumerist chopping block, face masks are soon to be transformed beyond their humble beginnings.

Photographer: Hilary Coulter

societatem ab intus putrescit (Vote for this Artwork)

Cara-Ann Simpson, 2020

Artist Location: Toogoom
Medium: Pigment print on Ilford gold fibre gloss rag
Dimensions: 76 x 76 x 0 cm

Artist Statement:
societatem ab intus putrescit (society rots from the inside) is from Furari Flores (Stealing Flowers) – a series of vanitas artworks exploring ephemerality and societal decay.
This series acts as a nexus between commentary on personal challenges and an outward interpretation of global news. They are an ironic reminder of the innate beauty found simultaneously in decadence and decay.
A nod to the Victorian symbol of jealousy and momento mori post-mortem photography, ?societatem ab intus putrescit? reflects our society and the inherent decadence and selfishness of individual acts leading to rot and decay. I am not innocent, and have often chosen the convenient, accessible or affordable option, rather than review my daily choices to reflect my ethical beliefs.
This work also symbolises my health – that visually I often appear vibrant, while my inner workings continue to degenerate as my neurological illness wreaks unseen havoc. My work often incorporates spectrographs (visual analysis of soundwaves), and this one is found sparkling in the lower petals – imperfectly perfect.

Photographer: Cara-Ann Simpson

Here’s Looking At You, Kid – Last Drinks

Anne-Louise Ciel, 2020

Artist Location: Eatons Hill
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 76 x 76 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
“Here’s looking at you, kid”, Humphrey Bogart says to Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, as he bids her farewell.
Likewise, we are looking on as the last fragile habitat of the Black Throated Finch is wantonly destroyed in the name of short term gain by a few. What can be more decadent in a time of ecological crisis, than to frivolously erase a Queensland treasure, to squander our precious pristine environment, only to pointlessly extend a dying industry.
A circular composition, we are first caught by her eyes, travel along wayward hair to a small stand of trees symbolising the Finches’ remaining shelter. Dropping, we discover this plucky little bird perched ever-so-lightly with us, then her scarf swings the return. Her expression is split: the right side a sweet smile of joy in the moment; the left side full of grim awareness of its brevity.

Photographer: Anne-Louise Ciel

Poppy Parfum (Vote for this Artwork)

Second Image of Artwork

Michelle Gray, 2020

Artist Location: Emerald
Medium: Hand blown glass
Dimensions: 13 x 6 x 6 cm

Artist Statement:
The essence of decadence is French perfume in an extravagant, elegant, hand-blown glass bottle, harking back to the late 19th Century. The rich red of the poppy represents vibrant, radiant decadence – an intense colour packed with emotion and connotation.
Queensland is the epitome of a free lifestyle adorned with many wonderful natural pleasures of beautiful weather, gorgeous spaces, and rich diversity in every location. Our free and easy Queensland lifestyle is safe and affords us the opportunities of a decadent lifestyle.
But why is this?
The simple blood red poppy also represents the sacrifices of our nation, and Queensland, as our forebears fought to preserve our freedoms, thus affording us the luxury of such safe decadent lives.
This piece was inspired by the alternate means by which we celebrated those who preserved our liberties, enabling us to luxuriate in our decadent freedoms, in the face of the adversities of 2020.

Photographer: Michelle Gray

A Plastic Sea (Vote for this Artwork)

Lyn Laver-Ahmat, 2020

Artist Location: Slade Point
Medium: Found plastic pieces sourced from the sea
Dimensions: 90 x 120 x 6 cm

Artist Statement:
I created this wall art piece by collecting marine debris and plastics gathered from the Great Barrier Reef, close to where I live. I was amazed at the patina of these pieces of sea-worn coloured plastics and their unusual shapes and profiles.
I have always had a passion and concern for our beautiful environment. I used the theme of Decadence to bring light to the dangers of carelessly discarding these plastic products that find their way into our waterways and destroy our precious sea life. My piece will hopefully inspire the need for everyone to recycle.

Photographer: Lyn Laver-Ahmat

Hurry Cup! (Vote for this Artwork)

Second Image of Artwork

Lucie Verhelst, 2020

Artist Location: Yugar
Medium: Textiles, thread, ribbon, beads and glue.
Dimensions: 29 x 17 x 19 cm

Artist Statement:
Coffee culture initially symbolised upper-class luxury, to later inspire the Penny Universities, forerunners of social hubs or cafes we recognise today. Testimony to societal transitions, in this increasingly fast-paced lifestyle, coffee has become a motivator that launches the day, creates time for a breather, a routine, or even a ritualistic addiction mostly recognised in absentia.
Enter the disposable cup, that caters for instant gratification and portable comfort. An appropriate motif for society’s skewed prioritisations, with ethics teetering and environmental concerns piling up. The awareness of its major contribution to landfill is common knowledge, and has converted many conscious drinkers to reusable solutions. However, due to the development of COVID-19 this progress has quickly slipped backwards.
Creature comforts are crucial to maintaining a sense of normality but what is the tipping point between necessity and decadence that costs more than it gives?

Photographer: Jon Linkins

In the dark of night (Vote for this Artwork)

Tarja Ahokas, 2020

Artist Location: Ninderry
Medium: Mixed media assemblage
Dimensions: 65 x 108 x 5 cm

Artist Statement:
In the dark of night
Everything
Everything
Looses its shape
And disappears
Decadence of darkness
Are we over indulging
In this black night
Can’t we see
The light at the
End of the tunnel?

Photographer: Tarja Ahokas

End of Decedence (Vote for this Artwork)

Jasna Spiranovic, 2020

Artist Location: City of Gold Coast
Medium: Mixed media and collage on paper
Dimensions: 90 x 80 x 1 cm

Artist Statement:
I have been working on a series of work in responce to the COVID-19 pandemic. My focus has been on the word “Cancelled” as so many events have been cancelled; weddings, operas, functions , conferences, elective surgeries, festivals , jobs businesses and so on. Consequently, I’ve been questioning is this the beginning of the of the End of Decedence? Our behaviours have had to change as a society to adapt to this new world. In my art work I have torn up my mono prints and monotypes and collaged them into a drawing trying to make sense of thie old world and the new world of now.
Fragments of art work represent the fragments of life transformed into some sort of puzzle in progress as we live each day with unpredictable moments giving way to the End of Decedance in order to function and stay safe.

Photographer: Jasna Spiranovic

Spirit Journey (Vote for this Artwork)

Emma Ward, 2020

Artist Location: Gracemere
Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas
Dimensions: 51 x 51 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
During a heavily emotional time in lock down (Covid 10 March -May 2020) I found myself abandoning my previous painting style in favor of creating abstract landscapes. From feelings of isolation, I became obsessed with the desire to connect with country in a more meaningful way. It was as if the act of painting landscapes was ‘grounding’ me during this anxious time. I began experimenting with crushing my own pigments from local sedimentary rocks, and making paints which I have used in the creation of this work. I have also incorporated walnut oil, gold leaf and salt and created the work in a free form, intuitive fashion. The artwork represents the view I get from the airplane window leaving Central Queensland on a trip to the ‘big smoke’ (Brisbane). It was a view that had been etched in my mind since my last visit to the city in January 2020 visiting the previous year’s Flying Arts exhibition. I found the whole experience inspirational and mentally transformative. Much like my impression of our landscape.

Photographer: Emma Ward

Headlands Country (Vote for this Artwork)

Chloe Wigg, 2019

Artist Location: Rochedale South
Medium: Acrylic on board
Dimensions: 40 x 90 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
What does decadence mean to me? Revelling in something pleasurable that cannot be the everyday. For me that’s technology free time with my family, soaking in the sun, toes deep in the sand. COVID-19 changed the innocence of this desire. The simple decadence of going to the beach became a rebellious act disregarding all consequence. The pleasurable indulgence of beach, sand and sun was suddenly denied to all but the careless. This denial increased 10-fold the decadence of the location when it could one again be indulged in safely.
This work was created with my fluid impressionism technique, using viscosity and gravity, rather than brushes to create representational landscapes.

Photographer: Chloe Wigg

the roll of the future (Vote for this Artwork)

Karen Johns, 2019

Artist Location: Kyoomba
Medium: watercolour
Dimensions: 31 x 41 x 0 cm

Artist Statement:
My favourite model is my quoll skull which I set up in my lounge room with a lot of other dead animal and plant material. I played with the light and the settings looking for an idea and then it stuck me… a toilet roll grabbed from the bathroom and placed in the skull’s mouth. What else could be more symbolic of the times today?
This day I wanted colour to brighten up life in isolation. I allowed the watercolour to run around the masking to make the harshness of the skull and the delicacy of the butterfly. Wildlife forgotten in a COVID-19 world where obsession with toilet paper left climate change far away as little covids float around the world. In one hundred years’ time will the decadence of toilet paper stock piling be remembered? Will anything be around to remember?

Photographer: Karen Johns

I Need a Home (Vote for this Artwork)

Pamela Finlay, 2020

Artist Location: Bowen
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 40.5 x 30 x 3.5 cm

Artist Statement:
When I was thinking of the word “Decadence” my mind immediately went to the recent increase of the abandonment of animals that has been happening in our town over the past few months. This moral disregard for animals has got to stop. Animal rescues help foster the change in animals lives. They are impassioned people wanting to help in their community, saving innocent lives and caring for animals in need. We can all make a difference in our communities to raise an awareness and help to right the wrongs, by giving and sharing love and compassion for the innocent little animals through these stressful times. They deserve the opportunity to survive and thrive.

Photographer: Pamela Finlay

Your Reflection (Vote for this Artwork)

Karena, Siu Nga Ip, 2019

Artist Location: Cairns
Medium: Watercolour on canvas
Dimensions: 60 x 76 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
The Artist presents “Your Reflection” with Australian proud – World Natural Heritage Area, the Great Barrier Reef as the background.
Finger corals of the same tone represent thousands of tourists, while expressing how human desire dominates this place, dominates the fate of the innocent future generation in their own hands.
The Artist has begun to explore the Great Barrier Reef since 2012 and witnessed the decadence in our eco-system and the changes of the underwater-environment of the reef. Hoping to awaken the empathy among ourselves. We have destroyed the habitats of one species after another because of our living style and needs. Forgotten mankind is just one of the passers-by on the Earth, not its owner.
The Artist has drawn her inspiration from one of her Dive at Norman Reef (approx.70-80km from Cairns), the Great Barrier Reef.

Photographer: Karena, Siu Nga Ip

Sources of love and light: waiting for dinner (Vote for this Artwork)

Adrienne Williams, 2020

Artist Location: Elliott Heads
Medium: Ink, graphite and 23.5 carat gold leaf on Arches paper
Dimensions: 22 x 50 x 50 cm

Artist Statement:
This ephemeral artist book is a tiny shrine to the studio and sofa companions who shine love and light into the lives of my artistic friends. As with so many artists, the upside-down events of this year removed most of my opportunities and with them, the lists of tasks and calendars of plans that give purpose and direction to studio time. At this moment, what is more decadent than play? What is more decadent than the luxury of having time to step out of the groove of a regular practice and play in the theatre of the absurd? The spheres of watercolour paper gifted to me, the gold leaf ordered in; engaging ‘first time’ tools. Suddenly there was purpose and direction! To lay precious metals across precious pet portraits was a joyful and ridiculous experience, connecting ten acts of love, to later be disassembled and gifted to the subjects’ humans.

Photographer: Sabrina Lauriston

Black Tree Caligraphy I

Rose Rigley, 2020

Artist Location: Whitfield
Medium: Mixed media (monoprint, ink, ink wash, hand stitching, machine stitching, glue) on board
Dimensions: 105 x 76 x 3 cm

Artist Statement:
When considering the theme DECADENCE, I couldn’t navigate past the idea of self-indulgence and for me, (like many), that involves the luxury of time. Time allows an artwork to evolve, with no specific purpose other than the sheer joy of conceptualizing, discovering, and finally creating. Such a creation is enabled with methods that are often repetitive and occasionally tedious but permits the artist the luxury of pondering thoughts and long-drawn-out pauses.
In “Black Tree Calligraphy I”, the blackened husks of the tree bodies become memory’s text, creating their own language above the printed, drawn and stitched surrounds. By placing the tree ‘words’ over this landscape, I could consider the space in between. It is this place – where shadows form, where silent pauses rest and where memories linger – that I am seeking to understand.
In today’s busy-ness, what an extravagance to be able to do so!

Photographer: Michael Marzik

REAP

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Donna Davis, 2020

Artist Location: Deebing Heights
Medium: Video
Dimensions: 30 x 54 x 3 cm

Artist Statement:
Decadence is an ephemeral and unsustainable state.
This work explores the fleeting nature of decadence and invites the viewer to consider the natural world not merely for our pleasure, rather as a multitude of interconnected life that supports the health of our planet.
Collections that house human artefacts have their climate conditions monitored and regulated to ensure the longevity and survival of their contents. But what steps are we taking to regulate climate conditions on planet Earth, the living collection that houses all species, including the human?
With carbon stores continuing to fuel our decadent lifestyles, what are we prepared to change to allow our planet to heal? The work reminds us that we reap what we sow, and asks what will we sow for our future…

Photographer: Donna Davis

The Cage

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Niloufar Lovegrove, 2020

Artist Location: The Caves
Medium: Video
Dimensions: Variable cm

Artist Statement:
When a bird is in a cage, no matter how refreshing the surrounding is, it will loose its ability to fly. When a person is set in a limiting condition, planning a way out is the only way the only way not to decay. Feeling trapped whether in a geographic border or an emotional barrier can activate either acceptance – a gradual death- to survive; or a break out plan.
My video is depicting a girl dancing and celebrating life in her little cage. She may break down or break free.

Photographer: Niloufar Lovegrove

Chocolate Cake (Vote for this Artwork)

Alana Read, 2020

Artist Location: Cawarral
Medium: Watercolour on Paper
Dimensions: 23 x 30 x 1 cm

Artist Statement:
Chocolate by nature is decadently rich, sensuous, luxurious and sinful.
Where there is sin, there is guilt and pleasure.
‘Chocolate Cake’ takes us on a journey beginning with a spiral path which leads us downward into the dark, delicious central depths of our wanton being.
Taking a bite means succumbing to our need for satisfaction and rewards us with a state of contented, indulgent bliss.
Experimentation with luscious pearlescent gold and blue metallic watercolour paints to highlight some areas, added an extra sparkle of luxury to this painting.
I took almost as much pleasure in painting this piece as I do eating chocolate cake, which is my personal choice of self-indulgence when life gets too much.

Photographer: Alana Read

The rose-coloured glass she was looking through

Hannah Murray, 2020

Artist Location: South Townsville
Medium: Mixed media on watercolour paper
Dimensions: 64 x 53 x 0.31 cm

Artist Statement:
Created using a selection of drawing and painting media my work is from an ongoing series titled Happy Hour. With origins as far back as Shakespeare, the words ‘happy’ and ‘hour’ have appeared together for centuries and used to reference designated periods of drinking, entertainment and pleasurable times. ‘Happy Hour’ in tropical paradise is the absolute epitome of decadence in hedonistic Western society. The exotic allure of North Queensland is no exception. Promoted as being “no place like it on Earth,” holidaymakers are enticed to “escape to luxe island hideaways and indulgent retreats.”
The aim of my work is to challenge the treacherous duality of “Happy Hour” by asking viewers to look beyond the rose-coloured glass and consider the consequences of such fleeting pleasures. My greatest concern is that in our insatiable pursuit for happiness we are inadvertently contributing to the demise of already fragile environmental and cultural systems.

Photographer: Hannah Murray

Vanitas20 (Vote for this Artwork)

Karen Wiz Smith, 2020

Artist Location: Gold Coast
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 76 x 76 x 4 cm

Artist Statement:
Given our new unpredictable, dynamic, pandemic affected community, the artist was compelled to compose a modern version of the Vanitas art of the 16th and 17th centuries. Traditional symbols of wealth and death combined with symbols of life which are indigenous to her local area intentionally saturate the canvas…”Where to from here?”

Photographer: Karen Wiz Smith

Nutjobs (Vote for this Artwork)

Second Image of Artwork

Karen Benjamin, 2020

Artist Location: Redland
Medium: Acrylic on gumnuts
Dimensions: 11 x 50 x 28 cm

Artist Statement:
The rate of suicide is higher in regional and remote areas of Queensland. The area that I live in (Metro South) has recorded 443 suicides or suspected suicides for the 2016-2018 period. Forty nine point two percent (49.2%) of these suicides have been people who showed no previous mental health issues (According to the Queensland 2019 Annual Suicide Report).
The gumnut gnomes I have used represent 74 lives lost in a 12 month period who showed no signs of previous mental health issues.