Josey Kidd-Crowe’s paintings are largely representational, yet they are far from traditional realism or a social document. Rather, these works rely on the evocative. Worked into old bedsheets and tapestries of discarded fabrics, his paintings are often populated by people and places that seem recognisable, yet they are difficult to place at any one point in time. Much of these images come from the imaginary materials of literature and old magazines, but in their conversion to painted images they take on a less referential quality. Embedded in supports that escape the illusion of the canvas, these works expose the process of painting without falling into reductionism. Kidd-Crowe’s claim to representation isn’t about accurate depictions or records, but rather about the effects of real life on our imaginations—be they individual or social—and the distance between these images and the real material that they’re produced from.
Josey Kidd-Crowe graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Latrobe University in 2009. His recent solo exhibitions and projects include: Stupor Hiatus, Neon Parc (2015); Office Ideals, Upper Cannon (2014); Tribute Night with Martin Kippenberger, Meyers Place (2014); Noble Sofa, Neon Parc (2013); and Das Boot Fair (with Scott McCulloch), Next Wave Festival (2013). Recent group exhibitions include: Centre for Style’s Atrophy Ampitheatre exhibit in Lurid Beauty, National Gallery of Victoria (2015); A Sinking Feeling, Punk Cafe (2015); Casual Conversations, Minerva (2015); and Sifting Through Plastic Gods, Margaret Lawrence Gallery (2013).