Joan Ross

Joan Ross is known for her interdisciplinary practice that confronts Australia’s colonial legacy. In this portrait, she has painted herself as a colonial woman holding the stump of a tree with a deep tenderness, like a lover.

‘There is regret in my eyes as I look back through time, thinking about the damage caused through colonisation,’ says Ross.

‘Behind me is a watercolour of Castle Hill from 1802. My portrait fuses with this historical picture of colonisation. She sees, and we see, that she is a part of it, part of the greed and all the sadness and destruction colonisation has caused.

Trees have been on earth for approximately 400 million years. 'As a child seeing a tree cut down, I would imagine all the insects and spiders and birds living in them. I wondered where they would go, I envisaged them trudging along in a long line looking for a new home.’

Born in Scotland and based in Sydney, Ross was a finalist in the 2021 Archibald. She won the 2017 Sulman and was the judge for this year’s Prize.