Episode 1: Zoe Grey’s shifting perspectives on belonging
Zoe Grey in her studio in nipaluna Hobart. Image: Willem-Dirk du Toit
In the first episode of Art Destinations Tasmania, we sit down with 28-year-old abstract artist Zoe Grey, whose work is profoundly influenced by her upbringing in the remote town of Marrawah on Tasmania's wild west coast. Working in the field of painting, as well as drawing, collage and ceramics, Zoe uses abstraction to portray the rugged rocks, fierce winds and booming swell on the northwest edge of Tasmania.
Zoe shares her unique perspective on what it was like growing up surrounded by the powerful forces of nature, from the relentless Southern Ocean waves to the isolation of rural life. She discusses how surfing has not only been a way of life but also a crucial part of her identity, deeply intertwined with her art. We also explore her recent residency in Svalbard, near the Arctic, comparing the raw, rugged environments of Tasmania and the far north.
Zoe’s work The Shape of Rock (2024) has just won one of the most lucrative art awards in Australia, the Hadley’s Art Prize, worth $100,000. The annual acquisitive art prize is awarded to the most outstanding portrayal of the Australian landscape. In an unusual twist of fate, Zoe won the Hadleys Packing Room prize only days earlier testifying the strength of the work. Zoe is being shown at Sydney Contemporary 2024 between 5 - 8 September by the James Makin Gallery and she is represented by Despard Gallery in Hobart.
On our Instagram page @artdestinations.podcast, you can see the prize winning work The Shape of Rock, other works and pictures of her childhood in Marrawah.
Biography
Zoe Grey is artist from lutruwita / Tasmania. Her work explores notions of home, connection to place and the experience of landscape, through painting, drawing, collage and ceramics. She grew up on the West coast of lutruwita, in the remote, rugged environment of Marrawah. She is currently based in nipaluna/Hobart at Good Grief Studios.
@zoe__makes
Gallery representation: @despardgallery and @jamesmakingallery
