BIOGRAPHY
I am an emerging artist with 5 years of practice and have shown works across Naarm/Melbourne and Djilang in a multitude of group shows. I am currently making a new body of work towards a solo exhibition.
In 2020, I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Spatial Practice at the University of Melbourne and have shown works across Naarm/Melbourne and Djilang in a multitude of group shows. In 2021, my work was chosen to participate in the National Graduate Show, ‘Hatched’ at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. Since living in Djilang, I have worked in various art-industry jobs across the regional city which include Platform Arts, Geelong Arts Centre and Geelong Gallery.
After an extreme period of autistic burnout in mid- 2024, I have made a series of changes to my life and arts practice, that aid in managing my health and understanding of my disability. I sought connection from various local arts groups which lead me to Antifragile. This community group focused on making artworks about lived experiences with mental health issues and neurodiversity. Throughout 2025, I facilitated art workshops, mentored members in exploring various mediums, techniques and conceptual development. Being part of Antifragile’s core organising team last year, I also contributed to the planning and running Antifragile’s 2025 exhibition event.
Since 2024, I have also built ongoing professional relationships with those associated with the arts, such as Creative Geelong and other artists based in the south west region of Victoria. These relationships and experiences have been an integral part of my practice, as this has allowed me to advocate for myself including other disabled and neurodiverse artists, to be seen, listened to and respected.
You are welcome to request to follow me and my arts practice on instagram :) and if you have any questions, opportunites or comments, thank you
@jalanskianna
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
I acknowledge the Wadawurrung, Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nations on whose country in which I work and live on. And I pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. I acknowledge First Nations Sovereignty and that sovereignty has never been ceded.
Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I work across multiple mediums which include sculpture, drawing, writing and video works. I am deeply interested in the role of everyday objects and reframing their use. I choose materials that are already made, discarded, grown or secondhand. I intertwine natural materials and manufactured plastics in complimentary ways that focus on form, tone, texture and shape. I try to capture aspects of my home and surrounding environments, that mirror my moods as I continue to understand my autism. By integrating a neuro-affirming approach when making artworks is vital as it allows me to cultivate a space in which I have the freedom to be my authentic myself.
Analysing the decision to discard something becomes a language in itself. I observe how this action of throwing away intersects with the natural and human-made environments. Often this act influences a person’s and a society’s cultural thinking, the decision of when an object is valuable or worthless. I genuinely relate to these objects that are often overlooked and thrown out. This profoundly reflects in how I often feel like an outcast and constantly having to prove my worth in every aspect of life as an autistic woman.
When I encounter an object, I accept them as they are, with admiration and not disregard them. This reflects how I would like to be accepted and understood. My practice is about making space for the object to exist my artwork, my process is about revealing its satisfying details and celebrating its uniqueness. This where I learn from it, so I can respond back to it in its own language. A form is complete when it can speak with its own voice and hold its own space. The conversations I have with my materials, allows me to embrace my autistic self. My practice is a commitment to care to let each object flourish, by not fundamentally changing what they are.