Decade Danse art exhibition inspired by gratitude for country Coffs Coast Coffs Coast - popup ad Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - December 29, 2023 French-Australian artist Janet Besançon paints with connected gratitude to Gumbaynggirr Country. DECADE Danse, an art exhibition by French-Australian artist Janet Besançon, shows an evolution of the artist’s work over the last ten years featuring “observations of our area in the life of a citizen of the globe”. The opening celebration is Saturday 5 January 2024 at Bellingen Gallery and Framing Studio from 5pm to 7pm, where visitors can meet and chat with Janet. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Janet shared with NOTA her inspiration for Decade Danse. Having grown up in France, she travelled the world. “Now I am here in Gumbaynggirr Country enjoying my life in the beautiful surroundings of the Mid North Coast,” she told NOTA. “I am surrounded by families from many different countries, (including) many refugees. “As a teenager I moved from the French countryside of Champagne to urban Paris and discovered a whole world of immigrants coming from Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Portugal. “In Coffs, refugees have gratitude for their hosting country.” That is her inspiration. “When you are not born here, you feel that Australia is not to be taken for granted. “We proudly represent our new country wherever we are. “Through my artwork, I represent our country to galleries and collectors here and in Europe.” Her life journey, the land she lives on and the people she meets are also influences. “I have a unique way of painting; I can say that I am the only artist to mix French and Gumbaynggirr pigments and Australian clay,” she said. Clay is an important element in her painting because it is traditionally used to heal. “Using materials from Australia and France keeps my feet in two worlds, and this is important to me as a migrant. “I have humbly sought permission from various first nation elders from Gumbaynggirr country to use local pigments I collect in the bush.” In Janet’s artwork, the human interconnection is very often represented through circles. “I believe that our actions, small or big, are influencing the march of the world, so let’s be guided by kindness for a more peaceful world.” It was ten years ago that she began to explore abstract art in Malaysia where she did a solo exhibition in Kuala Lumpur. A decade later, in her second solo exhibition visitors will see a progression of her style going from figurative to large abstract pieces. “I hope to touch lots of hearts as I work, live, create and raise my four kids with my heart first. “Choosing to be a full-time artist is not the easiest pathway in the straight world, but it is my way to give back the luck I have every day to be alive in the Coffs community and in the Mid North Coast.” Decade Danse is on from Monday 1 January until Thursday 29 February 2024 at Bellingen Gallery and Framing Studio, 44 Hyde Street, Bellingen. See Instagram @ARTJB8. By Andrea FERRARI Decade Danse, an exhibition of artworks painted on Gumbaynggirr Country, opens in Bellingen Gallery and Framing Studio. On Tracks, featured in the Decade Danse exhibition by Janet Besançon.
