Art doesn’t have to be pretty or nice, for Josh Prouse; it’s often the antithesis.
“It’s a strong and accessible medium for telling hard stories,” the Tasmanian Aboriginal artist explains.
Prouse is a BLAKsmith, a term referring to his technical skills and identity as a member of the paredarerme people from Turrakana (the Tasman Peninsula).
By using reclaimed and found materials – symbols of Tasmania’s colonisation – he explores the injustices of the past that continue today.
A striking example of his work is the artefact that he created as part of his Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours (’21).
Crafted from reclaimed materials, it represents a cutthroat razer to signify the mutilation of Aboriginal man William ‘King Billy’ Lanne upon his death.
Prouse studied Jewellery at Tafe Tasmania before joining the University.
It was here that his artistic horizons were broadened during an excursion to Hobart-based blacksmith Pete Mattila’s workshop. He soon started working for Mattila, gaining experience that would later inform his own practice.
Prouse also received the 2019 Jon Lajos Prize in Fine Arts, allowing him to invest in new tools and expand his craft during his University degree.
He says his artistic process is deeply intuitive.
“I feel the material kind of speaks from its life before, and then through the act of making, that’s where a lot of my work evolves,” Prouse said.
He recently created a large skeleton whale tail on Bruny Island. Sticks were threaded through the bones.
“As the sun was setting, we set fire to the whale, drawing inspiration from Aboriginal regenerative burning practices.”
“It burnt to just the bare bones.”
Prouse took the charcoaled remains and recreated the whale tail at the Creative Arts and Media campus on a white plinth, allowing the charcoal to bleed into it.
“Sometimes it can be quite hard to represent Aboriginal art within a gallery, it’s not always a safe space,” he explained.
However, it has been the perfect place to forge the second stage of his career.
As Exhibitions and Collections Technician at the Plimsoll Gallery, he installs exhibitions, assists with archival work, and promotes First Nations art.
It’s a powerful opportunity to extend himself from creator to curator, elevate Aboriginal voices and Indigenise the University’s cultural collections.
Written by Lucie van den Berg for Alumni Magazine Issue 55, 2024.
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Top of page: Josh Prouse | Photo: Joanne Grant