JOSHUA BONSON - SKIN - MOVING THROUGH MONOCHROME
JOSHUA BONSON
SKIN - MOVING THROUGH MONOCHROME, 2025
123 x 91 cm
Synthetic Polymer Paint on Canvas
REGION
Torres Strait Islands/Darwin, NT
PROVENANCE
Direct from the artist, Cairns, Qld
Art Leven [formerly Cooee Art], Gadigal (Sydney, NSW)
STORY
‘SKIN- Moving through Monochrome showcases my totem The Saltwater Crocodile and the land that
we are from; The Northern Territory, The Torres Strait and Far North Queensland. An emotional and
meaningful body of work teaming with texture, exuberant detail while touching on themes of identity,
belonging, enduring associations to place and connection to cultural roots.
‘This exhibition portrays my love of country which is the inspiration of this show. The first works I have
created since deciding to leave Darwin after living there all my life and relocating to Cairns, Far North
Queensland to finally work full time as an artist in my own art studio and beginning a pivotal chapter in
my life and artistic practice. A life of change, risk, new ideas, discovery excitement and reconnection
to country and family’.
‘To describe how I feel is simply altering, developing, dynamic and transitional. The use of Black and
White signalling a shift to a more spiritual context concentrating on the way light and shadow fall
across the surface, manipulating light, space and hue. The result is freeing – without the complexities
of colour focusing on the use of visual languages of shape, form and line while experimenting with
texture, mark-making and symbolic meaning. It is fascinating how shades of black and white evoke
such powerful emotion while embracing the simplicity and the beauty within’.
SKIN portrays my totem, The Saltwater Crocodile, my ancestors, the oceans and land where I come
from. Strong passion and driven design run throughout the completed works, focusing the viewers’
attention on the subject, concept and technique’.
The Saltwater Crocodiles scaly cover; up close and personal in such close proximity that the viewer
can see the individual scales of the skin texturally rendered for close scrutiny. The armoured skin is
cleverly shown by building up the serrations of paint, creating an element of flow, scaled perfection
applied layer by layer with brushes, pallet knives and bare hands generously floating on watery
surfaces. ‘I want the viewer to feel the presence of the reptile, run their hands across its skin’.
Bonsons work captures the essence of the reptiles natural casing through his unique painterly style
that is largely monochromatic and abstractly expressionistic. The scales of the Saltwater Crocodile
are his own personal totem and his close up inspection of this aspect of the animal can be interpreted
as a landscape seen from a great distance and up close of rocks, water and sand – a terrain
harvested from both the Northern Territory, where he was born and The Torres Strait where he roots
his heritage.
The close – up investigation of its scaly skin becomes his method of putting in place the affiliations
that define his very own skin. By getting the viewer up close to The Saltwater Crocodile’s skin,
Bonson enables the audience to know its strength, and see the country from where it came, where he
comes from too.
Heritage guides the story captured, a personal story, a portrayal of uniqueness, solidarity, and an
acknowledgement of bloodlines.
Dwell in Bonsons cultural mind space and enjoy an artistic close encounter with the reptilian kind
embracing the simplicity and the beauty within.
EXHIBITED
SKIN - Moving through Monochrome, August 2025, Art Leven [formerly Cooee Art]
ARTIST PROFILE
