About Joshua Searle
Born in 1998, Joshua Searle delves into socio-cultural issues and diasporic identity. Primarily a painter, Joshua also works across sculpture, contemporary jewellery, glass, and printmaking. His art explores the diasporic position in contemporary societies shaped by migration and displacement in the Americas and Australia, addressing confronting issues while celebrating Black excellence.
Joshua's work engages deeply with his Colombian heritage, using figurative repetition to explore meanings that shift with context. His major projects, including *Wall of Gold* (2023), *Stolen Gold* (2023-2024), and *Museo del Oro Robado* (Museum of Stolen Gold, 2024), critique institutional practices of theft, examining Pre-Columbian artefacts held in museum collections. These projects serve as a means for Joshua to understand his diasporic history and identity, functioning as a reclamation of identity and a critique of colonialism.
Joshua has been recognised with several commissions, including with the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (2022-23) and the Archibald Prize Exhibition (2023). He was a finalist in the Sir John Sulman Prize (AGNSW, 2023) and the National Works on Paper Prize (MPRG, 2024). His solo exhibitions in Melbourne, such as *Relentless Optimism* (2024), have garnered significant attention. Currently, he is the recipient of the 2024 Mason Family Trust Fellowship, allowing him to research Indigenous gold-smithing and sculptural practices in Colombia.
About Arne Ohlsen
Originally from Germany, 26-year-old Arne Ohlsen has made Australia his home since 2019. As a self-taught artist, Arne began painting three years ago, using it as a therapeutic means of self-expression. His intuitive artistic process, influenced by music and raw emotion, captures the human experience with authenticity and vitality.
Arne's work, described as somewhere between Renaissance and modern expressionism, invites viewers to explore deep emotions through his vibrant and emotive creations. His journey as an artist reflects his experience of being “in-between”- caught between different cultures and emotional states.