Meet Vanessa Barbay IAVA’s newest member. We asked Vanessa a few getting to know you questions.
What was your earliest memory of an interaction with Art?
My Magyar father and his family were all creative so their art was my first exposure to painting, drawing, photography, jewellery making, taxidermy and tapestry mediums. My father Tibor and grandfather Geza would set me creative tasks as they said I possessed a natural aptitude to represent objects and subjects in the world I could see around me.
How would you describe your art practice?
At home as a child my practice began as figurative and this has remained a core feature of my work due to a natural compulsion to represent subjects I could see. I would also write narratives so I could illustrate them. They always featured animals due in part to my father Tibor's fascination with them and my admiration for him (he called me his shadow). At school I was exposed to Surrealism and loved the work of Gleeson and Pugh. I was also profoundly influenced by Koori peers and mentors, in particular George Brown and Laddie Timbery. Later in life I met and produced illustrations for Pauline McLeod and then travelled to Western Arnhem land to learn painting with ochre on rock and bark from Kunwinjku artists, in particular Graham Badari, Glen Namundja and Thompson Nganjmirra. The Anthropocene and its devastating impact on wildlife is a key concern and drives my current practice and my development of the shroud process (animal decomposition printing) during my PhD at ANU.
Do you have a favourite artist and/or artwork?
What is it that makes them your favourite? I admire many artists, particularly those who harness the cultural and conceptual power embodied in materials themselves, rather than reliance on the subject for meaning. Examples such as the site specific animal paintings of Najombolmi and Bardayal Nadjamerrek painted with delek on rock shelters from, on and about their country or the materiality of Beuys, Keifer and Burri featuring the substances of their wartorn countries.
Most recent adventure or achievement?
This winter I was successful in receiving a CASP grant to run free wildlife art workshops with fellow artists in my community and travelled through remote WA for the first time (learning about and seeing rock art with a TO in the Kimberleys was a highlight).
Any current goals you’re working towards?
I have applied for a residency in Margaret River WA as I am keen to explore the southern parts of the state in 2026.
Vanessa in her art studio