Have you ever found yourself at the ocean, watching the rolling unpredictable waves come in. Have you noticed how each day they crash in a different way? Have you ever watched the sky, watched the blue light change, witnessed how quickly the dark grey clouds lighten and darken again. How strangely clouds can possess both. How quickly these natural phenomena change.

Bloom is a solo exhibition by early career artist Olivia Jones. The exhibition presents a cohesive body of work which embodies lived and shared experiences of emotional memory – such as hurt, pain, love and friendship. The exhibition’s title is inspired by the poet Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey (2015) poetry collection. One poem explores the idea of persevering through suffering with the metaphor of a flower.

For Jones, this poem succinctly contextualises her paintings. Layers of white paint and crushed Toodyay stone engage with colours in a dance of push and pull, reveal and conceal, or as Kaur writes, “bloom beautifully, dangerously, loudly, softly… just bloom”.

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This body of work and exhibition has been funded by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) Culture and the Arts WA.

Installation Images: Rebecca Mansell

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