Art at the edge of world.

"The photographs of John Austin are sharp, clear and deep. 
At times stark, they are still pleasing, sensuous objects which invite a long, slow look.

Deliberately unclouded by colour, and without the distractions of the clutter of everyday life, they use the techniques of modernist 'straight' photography, including a simplicity of tone, volume and form, to concentrate on what lies before the camera, before the photographer's eye and in turn what now lies before the viewer.

There is clearly a desire to focus on the essential qualities of the photographer's subject, to distil something fundamental and to capture a moment in time."

Dr Diana McGurr, John Austin - Survey II, Catalogue essay August 2017

Natural materials and earth pigments are gathered and ground up to create unique paints and approaches that connect materials and techniques to subject. Echoing geological processes in his artworks, layers are meticulously built up then ‘weathered and eroded’ through a range of techniques including sanding and engraving. 

Highly detailed drawings are dissolved and entombed in oil paint glazes. Old-world sepia-toned views are suggested in an air of ambiguous antiquity. 

In the Wonders of the Worlds series, photographs from century-old volumes of ancient wonders are paired with contemporary NASA imagery from Mars to create illusory continuous landscapes that allude to the rise and fall of empires.

Measured in timelines far greater than ours are the ancient landscapes of Western Australia.

The coastal rocks of Albany (Adrift series) and eroded ranges of the Pilbara are billions of years old. Ancient landscapes are seen as both bountiful in beauty and resources. In Golden State IV, the organisation of hues and gridding of land is suggested by the orderly array of paint sample cards: on closer inspection the exposed paint names make a wry commentary on imposition of human values on the natural world. 


Tony Windberg was born in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1966. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) from Curtin University in 1986, with a major in painting. Since his first solo exhibition in 1989, he has held numerous solo shows and exhibited in prestigious national and state group exhibitions. Tony’s artwork has won numerous awards and is represented in private, public and corporate collections.

Collections (selection):  

Parliament of WA, Artbank, the collections of Janet Holmes á Court, Kerry Stokes, Rio Tinto, Wesfarmers, Woodside Energy, Curtin University, The University of WA, Edith Cowan University, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, St. John of God Health Care, and the City collections of Perth, Armadale, Melville, Bunbury, Busselton, Geraldton-Greenough, Rockingham, Joondalup, Vincent and Wanneroo.