WHEN YOU APPROACH A FORK IN THE ROAD, DOES YOUR JOURNEY CHANGE OR CONTINUE?

IN THINKING OF AN ARTIST'S PRACTICE WE OFTEN SEGMENT THEIR WORK INTO NEATLY DELINEATED ERAS, WITH IDEAS AND THEMES CONFINED TO EXHIBITIONS OF THE PAST. IN SPILT GUTS, ARTIST JORDANA HENRY QUESTIONS THIS SENTIMENT, CONTINUING HER ONGOING CONVERSATION WITH AN ELEMENTAL AND GESTURAL PRACTICE.

"THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THE END OF MY LAST BODY OF WORK AND A LITTLE BIT OF THE BEGINNING OF MY NEXT"

GROUNDED IN LIVED EXPERIENCE, JORDANA HENRY'S SPILT GUTS IS A VISUALISATION OF THE BEAUTIFUL, EMOTIONAL, COMPLEX, HONEST, MESSY AND RELAXED REALITY OF BEING AN ARTIST, A MOTHER AND A WOMAN. THE ABSTRACT SHAPES ACT AS A MIRROR FOR OUR EXPERIENCES; OUR CELLS, OUR WOMBS, OUR SHELLS, OUR MOTHERS, OURSELVES.

"THIS FEELS LIKE THE COMPLETION OF A LONG JOURNEY, SO I FEEL AT PEACE WITH IT."

JORDANA HENRY IS AN ARTIST AND GALLERIST WHO LIVES AND WORKS ON BUNDJALUNG LAND IN THE NORTHER RIVERS, NSW. GRADUATING FROM ART SCHOOL IN 2012 WITH A DEGREE IN PRINTMAKING, HENRY"S PRACTICE HAS EVOLVED WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF FORM AND SPACE. WORKING PREDOMINANTLY IN LARGE SCALE ABSTRACT OIL PAINTINGS HER PRACTICE IS A REFLECTION OF HER LIVED EXPERIENCE; WITH GESTATING FIGURES, LARGE VESSELS AND WOMB-LIKE SHAPES ACTING AS PROTAGONIST IN RECENT WORKS. HAVING RETURNED AT THE START OF THE YEAR FROM A 5 YEAR HIATUS FROM PAINTING DURING WHICH SHE CO-FOUNDED BYRON BAY GALLERY "YEAH, NICE GALLERY", HENRY'S UNDERSTANDING OF HER OWN PRACTICE HAS UNDERGONE A PROFOUND TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS A MORE INTUITIVE AND FREE APPROACH. SPEAKING TO HER CURRENT PRACTICE, HENRY STATES:

"I FEEL CALM ABOUT IT, IT'S A CORRECT REPRESENTATION OF WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW."