Melbourne Artist Janice Gobey Explores the Restorative Power of Nature in New Exhibition

Late in 2023, Melbourne artist Janice Gobey travelled through Europe, spending time in France, Spain, and Portugal. During her journey, Gobey was granted the rare opportunity to paint en plein air in the historic gardens of the Alhambra in Granada and the Alcázar in Seville. It was here that the concept for her forthcoming exhibition, The Garden of Life, began to take shape.

While Gobey has long been known for tackling challenging and emotionally charged themes in her work, the turbulence of the current global climate prompted a shift. This new body of work offers viewers a moment of respite – an invitation to rest weary souls and reconnect with nature, the subconscious, and the unseen corners of the psyche.

Working primarily in oil, Gobey has conjured an ‘other world’ populated by archetypal figures: cats, horses, and anthropomorphic beings set against dreamlike, sometimes imagined, sometimes real landscapes. Many of the works feature silver-leafed edges, evoking the kind of quiet opulence found in Southern Europe’s ancient palaces and sanctuaries.

A long-time student of psychology, Gobey draws inspiration from the writings of Carl Jung, particularly his reflections on nature’s restorative qualities:

“Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a bath in the sea. Entering the unconscious, entering yourself through dreams, is touching nature from the inside and this is the same thing, things are put right again.”

The Garden of Life is an exhibition shaped by this philosophy – a visual invitation to pause, reflect, and step beyond the conscious world into places both ancient and eternal. Opening night is Tuesday 30 September 5 – 7 pm and the exhibition closes on Saturday 11 October.