South-African born, Ipswich-based Jane du Rand uses her art practice to document and better understand the world around her, building three-dimensional landscapes that feature the native flora and fauna she encounters while bushwalking west of Brisbane. Having made note of everything she’s seen while hiking, she recreates these scenes using a combination of ceramic and mosaic techniques. Presented under glass cloches, they are reminiscent of the dioramas found in natural history museums – a contemporary sculptural version of the early natural history illustrations and specimen displays that existed in the Victorian era.
Originally trained as an architect, du Rand’s practice also extends to large-scale mosaic murals, with her intricate designs incorporated into the architecture of civic and private buildings around the world. Made by hand in her Brisbane studio before being shipped overseas and assembled on site, these installations allow du Rand to fully reflect the environment in which they’re situated – each mural densely populated with iconography unique to the area.
Having juggled these dual arms of her practice for over 20 years, du Rand is now gravitating towards more expansive sculptural works, drawing on her mural practice to create huge vessels and urns that measure over one and a half metres high, and feature imagery of the natural world in mosaic and ceramic relief.
An alumna of the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa, Jane du Rand is internationally recognised for her large-scale ceramic mosaics commissioned for public buildings and private homes in Europe, the UK, the USA, South Africa and Australia. Awarded ‘Best of Show’ at the 2017 Ipswich Art Award, she was a finalist in the 2020 Queensland Regional Art Awards, the 2018 Ipswich Art Award, and the Mercedes Benz Award for South African Art Projects in Public Spaces in 2009. Her solo exhibition ‘Living in Ipswich’ will be presented at Ipswich Art Gallery in 2020.
Carrie McCarthy, October 2020
