Joanna Gilmour. Photo: Melinda Jane.
Two worlds unexpectedly collide in the newest exhibition coming to Penrith Regional Gallery.
‘Hibiscus: Angela Tiatia & Philip Juster’ will open on August 2 and run until October 26, featuring the works of two artists who would appear to have nothing in common – until you look a bit closer.
Gallery Curator Joanna Gilmour gave the Weekender insight into the upcoming exhibition, starting with the work of Philip Juster.
“Philip Juster died in 2004. He was a prolific and obsessively creative artist, but he’s not someone who history has paid a lot of attention to – his work is still relatively unstudied,” Gilmour stated.
“In 2011, Penrith Regional Gallery was given a significant donation of his works. We got about 60 paintings and collages from the executor of his estate.
“We’ve only ever exhibited them once before, but one of the things Philip Juster was really interested in was looking at issues of colonialism and the exploitation and commodification of parts of the Pacific.”
Juster was well travelled and spent time in Asia, the Pacific, and New Guinea.
“He was really fascinated with those cultures and wanted to bring to the fore the way those cultures had been affected by the influence of the west in his work. He used collage to great effect to do that,” Gilmour explained.
“He was very influenced by artists like Andy Warhol for example – by pop art, by punk, by psychodelia, and by left wing politics.”
A selection of his work has been paired with the digital genius of Angela Tiatia.
“Angela is a leading artist and filmmaker. She works mostly in photography and film. She lives in Sydney now, but she was born in Auckland and has Samoan heritage,” Gilmour described.
“Almost all of Angela’s work is involved in looking at the same sort of issues – particularly looking at the way Pasifika women and Samoan women are represented in visual art and culture and making work that shifts our thinking in that regard.”
The curator is convinced all gallery-goers can engage with the exhibition.
“Even if you’re someone who doesn’t know a lot about art history, you’ll be completely blown away by Angela’s work. It’s going to be projected, taking up half of the gallery on a massive screen, and it’s totally immersive, absorbing, moving, beautiful and uplifting,” Gilmour exclaimed.
“Then of course you’ve got Philip Juster’s works which are vivid and colourful and playful, but also very witty. So, you can come to the exhibition and be blown away by the beauty of Angela’s work and then you can spend time looking at all the hidden detail in Philip Juster’s collages.
“Either way, you’ll end up with a good sense of two artists who lived in two different eras and never met each other and work in very different mediums to say the same sorts of things.”
Witness the synergies and find the meaning in each piece at Penrith Regional Gallery from August 2 to October 26. The Grand Opening will be on August 9.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She’s a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.