Janenne Eaton: Various Works of Art

The Artist

Janenne Eaton is an interesting personality in the University of Canberra  Art Collection. Janenne Eaton’s studies and fieldwork in archaeology have been influential in the direction her artwork has taken since the mid 1980’s. Her artistic explorations acknowledge how individuals and societies are shaped, through time, by historical events, economics, and experiences of diaspora, within today’s mesh of a globalized, digital ecology.

Janenne’s works focus a lens on the visual static that permeates contemporary life.  Through the use of historical markers, digital textual symbols and elements embedded in computer based imaging, her works explore how a new, virtual language
​of sign systems mediates our day-to-day experience of the world.  Highlighting some of the key visual signifiers of our consumer-led, info-centric society, her works explore local and global political imperatives, their impact on people and the environment. 

Janenne Eaton's practice incorporates painting, photography, installation and video. Through solo and participation in group exhibitions her works have been exhibited extensively in ARI’s, museums and commercial galleries nationally and internationally. Janenne's work is represented in numerous public and private collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, The National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.

The Works of Art.

The University of Canberra  holds five works of art by renowned artist Janenne  Eaton. The first three works of art are prints (two etchings and an aquatint print) created between 1990 and 1992. They are relatively small images but  pleasing to the eye. Untitled (Waterfall)  which was created  and published in  1990 depicts a waterfall and shows the play of light upon the falling water.  This work was exhibited  at Canberra's CMAG (Canberra Museum and Art Gallery) in an exhibition titled 'Collective Wisdom.'  The second and third prints are etchings which form intricate patterns. Hide-out and  Untitled both depict an abstract patterned surface. The latter is  a limited edition print, 8 of 90. Again, this work was included in the Collective Wisdom exhibition.

The fourth and fifth work in  the University of Canberra Art Collection by Eaton are somewhat different .  The Queen of Hearts, is a small work created using oil on canvas and was painted in 1988. It is a rather haunting image that depicts a lady's torso and clothing reminiscent of  the latter part of the 16th Century- with collar and ruff. But where the head should be is a bright light in the shape of a heart. The image may reflect Eaton's interest in history and archaeology. In my mind this could be a reference to Mary Queen of Scots who was executed in 1587.

The last work,  On Lambing Flat, is also an interesting historic interpretation of an event that occurred near Lambing Flat, near Young, New South Wales. The work depicts a series of Chinese letters  in red overlaying a wooded landscape. The image refers to two anti-Chinese riots that took place on the gold fields on 30th June and 14th July 1861.  In the attacks, the Chinese camps were were destroyed and the inhabited brutally treated. The  work is  created using oils and enamel on canvas and was painted in 2000. It is a significant work in the Art Collection that was painted in a series for an exhibition called 'histories.'