John Pastoriza-Piñol - Botanicum Series II - 2022 - Scott Livesey Galleries

J O H N PA S TO R I Z A - P I Ñ O L B O TA N I C U M S E R I E S I I

Pa e o n i a s u f f r u t i c o s a ( W u J i n Ya o H u i ) 2 0 2 1 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 25 x 20 cm

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R o s a x m u t i l f o r a ‘ C é c i l e B r ü n n e r ’ , T i l i a e u r o p a e a , Tr i f o l i u m repens, Querucs robor (Inspired by Rory III) 2022 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 24 x 20 cm

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Pa p a v e r n u d i c a u l e ( I c e l a n d Po p p i e s ) 2 0 2 2 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 36 x 30 cm

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Pinus lambertiana (Sugar Pine cone) 2021 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 45 x 30 cm

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Colchicum speciosum (Waterlily) 2021 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 36 x 30 cm

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W h e n a s k e d b y J o h n t o w r i t e s o m e t h i n g t o a c c o m p a n y t h e o c c a s i o n o f t h i s e x h i b i t i o n I w a s m o s t s t r u c k b y Vi s C o m b i n a t o r u m .

Like much still life, a genre very close to that of botanical art (indeed they are often one and the same), it is a work rich with allusions to different symbolic languages. John has engaged with the practice of vanitas, a tradition which emerges during the D u t c h G o l d e n A g e ( 1 5 8 8 t o 1 6 7 2 ) , t h e D u t c h b e i n g t h e m a s t e r s o f s t i l l l i f e . Va n i t a s , l i t e r a l l y v a n i t y, o r e m p t i n e s s , u s e d e v i c e s such wilting flowers, decaying fruit, flies, skulls, guttering candles, and clocks to remind viewers of the passing of time and the inevitability of death and decline. They are part of the longer tradition of memento mori, literally reminders that we all die, found throughout European culture from classical times.

T h e r e i s n o c l e a r e r s y m b o l o f t h i s t h a n t h e s k u l l , w h i c h J o h n h a s c h o s e n t o p a i n t i n s i l v e r, e v o k i n g t h e d i a m o n d e n c r u s t e d platinum of For the Love of God, by Damien Hirst. There is no clearer reminder of mortality than the skull: its anonymity and uniformity remind us all of the inevitability and modesty of death. Looking at this dark skull, unsentimental yet beautiful, I c a n ’ t h e l p b u t p l a c e i t i n t h e c o n t e x t o f J o h n ’s l e a t h e r a e s t h e t i c . L e a t h e r c u l t u r e i s d e e p l y m a s c u l i n e , h u g g i n g a n d e m p h a s i s i n g t h e b o d y ’s l i n e s , e v o k i n g m o t o r c y c l e s – t h a t p h a l l i c s u r r o g a t e s u p r e m e – a n d e m b r a c i n g a s e x u a l i t y t h a t f l i r t s a t t h e t h r e s h o l d b e t w e e n p l e a s u r e a n d p a i n . I t i s t e m p e r e d , h o w e v e r, b y t h e c o m p l e x i t y o f g a y s u b j e c t i v i t i e s . T h e l e a t h e r s c e n e is not toxic, like the outlaw motorcycle culture that it riffs upon. This is not a culture of exclusion and hate, but one of i r o n i e s , p a r a d o x e s a n d d u a l i t i e s . L e a t h e r h a s t h e t h r i l l o f d a n g e r c e r t a i n l y, a n d , h i s t o r i c a l l y, a r e j e c t i o n o f t h e i d e a t h a t g a y culture was passive and effeminate (leather fully embraces the maleness of muscles and fur). But there is also the sense of c o m m u n i t y, c o s t u m e a n d k n o w i n g p e r f o r m a n c e t h a t h a s n o n e o f t h e h y s t e r i c a l a n d i s o l a t i o n i s t f r a g i l i t y o f t o x i c , h e t e r o n o r m a t i v e m a c h i s m o . Vi s C o m b i n a t o r u m , l i k e l e a t h e r, b a l a n c e s p a r a d o x e s . F o r t h e s y m b o l o f t h e s k u l l i s t h e l e a s t ambiguous of those John has chosen.

The botanical elements are, of course, central to the work and John has chosen two of his favourites: anemones and the p o m e g r a n a t e . Po m e g r a n a t e s t h e m s e l v e s a r e t h e b o t a n i c a l s y m b o l p a r e x c e l l e n c e , a s t a p l e o f t h e s t i l l l i f e t r a d i t i o n . I t h a s b e e n remarked, to the point of tedium, that fruit in art speaks to fertility and abundance. Fruit and flowers are often deployed as symbolic of genitalia and reproduction. Separate to still life, the pomegranate was used by Botticelli, among many others, in d e p i c t i o n s o f t h e M a d o n n a a n d c h i l d , d o u b l i n g d o w n o n t h e f e r t i l i t y e x p r e s s e d b y t h i s s y m b o l o f m o t h e r h o o d . C e r t a i n l y, t h o s e r e a d i n g s r e m a i n i n J o h n ’s d e e p l y s e n s u o u s , w o r k . B u t I a m a l s o r e m i n d e d o f t h e w o r k o f Ro b e r t M a p p l e t h o r p e ( y e s , l o w h a n g i n g fruit – pun intended), famous for his unapologetic and tough gay aesthetic as well as his exquisite botanical studies. The c o m b i n a t i o n o f t h e t w o i n M a p p l e t h o r p e ’s o e u v r e h e l p u s t o s e e e a c h a n e w, a n d a s n o t s o f a r a p a r t .

T h e n t h e r e a r e t h e a n e m o n e s . T h e s e e x q u i s i t e l i t t l e f l o w e r s h a v e a t t r a c t e d m a n y m e a n i n g s o v e r h i s t o r y, b u t i n t h e s p i r i t o f o u r t h e m e o f d u a l i t i e s I w i l l h i g h l i g h t S h a k e s p e a r e ’s u s e o f t h e m y t h o f Ve n u s a n d A d o n i s i n h i s p o e m o f t h e s a m e n a m e . A s Ve n u s knelt weeping over the body of Adonis, she cursed love, of which she was the goddess, to be forever entangled with suffering a n d j e a l o u s y.

Nestled among the botanicals are the artificial elements, the products of the hand. Beginning at the right there is an exquisitely rendered Chinoiserie ginger jar with Chrysanthemums curling in relief. Whilst these flowers have been associated w i t h J a p a n e s e r o y a l t y f o r s o m e c e n t u r i e s , i n C h i n a t h e y s y m b o l i s e l o n g l i f e a n d , o n c e a g a i n , f e r t i l i t y. T h e s e e c h o e s o f b i n a r i e s and balance – life and death, fertility and decay – are replete throughout this work. Further along the shelf lies what appears to be a fragment of a Hindu sculpture with the fingers curled into the apana mudra, holding a tiny bound book, with a rose c e n t r e d o n i t s c o v e r. T h i s i s a h a s t a m u d r a , l i t e r a l l y i n S a n s k r i t a h a n d ( h a s t a ) s e a l ( m u d r a ) , a s a c r e d g e s t u r e u s e d i n y o g a and meditation. It has a number of applications within ayurvedic practice, but its primary function is that of cleansing and unblocking digestive and reproductive pathways. Like all the mudras, it seeks balance. Here, the hand holds a tiny volume: o n e m i g h t i m a g i n e i t t o b e o n e o f t h e Ve d a s ( t h e s e m i n a l Ay u r v e d i c t e x t s ) , o r i n t h i s e c l e c t i c c o m p o s i t i o n a b i b l e o r o t h e r w i s e s a c r e d t e x t . I t c o u l d a l s o b e , I t h i n k , a b o o k o f f l o w e r s ; a t i n y v o l u m e o f w o r k s b y Pi e r r e - J o s e p h Re d o u t é w o u l d b e i n k e e p i n g .

Then, there stands at the end of the ledge, itself a symbol of antiquity and ruin, an obelisk of amethyst. Calling back to the ivy of Dionysus, amethyst was named by the Greeks who carved wine goblets from it in the belief that it could protect its owner from drunkenness. Its name literally means ‘not drunken’. In crystal lore it has come to be more widely interpreted as k e e p i n g o n e g r o u n d e d . L i n k i n g b a c k t o o u r m u d r a , f o r Ti b e t a n s i t i s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e B u d d h a , a n d t h e y c a r v e p r a y e r b e a d s from it for this reason.

C o n t i n u i n g w i t h t h e c l a s s i c a l a l l u s i o n s i s t h e o b e l i s k i t s e l f , l o n g i n t e r p r e t e d b y t h e We s t a s s y m b o l i c o f v i r i l e s t a t e p o w e r ( Wa s h i n g t o n m o n u m e n t , t h e a w f u l s t o n e a n d c o n c r e t e m o n s t r o s i t y t h a t i s t h e B u r k e a n d W i l l s m o n u m e n t i n Ro y a l Pa r k ) . T h e 19th century craze for the obelisk is traceable to the Egyptian culture that Europe was busy looting at the time. The form is much older in Egyptian culture, 5000 years old in fact. The Egyptians named them ‘tekhenu’, meaning to pierce. For the Egyptians it was the pedestal from which the god Akum observed the making of the world. In time it came to be a representation of the duality and balance so central to Egyptian cosmology (obelisks were typically erected in pairs at temple entrances in Egypt). With an apparently phallic allusion, John calls us back to his theme of balance.

Further portals to the work, and its classical allusions, can be found in both the engraving Fecit xxii (he made 2021), and the t i t l e Vi s C o m b i n a t o r u m ( p o w e r c o m b i n a t i o n ) . T h e g e n t l e p l a y o f s i g n i f i e r s c o n t i n u e s h e r e , t h e g e n d e r e d a t t r i b u t i o n a n d t h e naming of power both speak of masculinity in the midst of this composition which borrows and blends to create a harmony of s o f t a n d h a r d , f l o w e r a n d s t o n e , f e r t i l i t y a n d e n t r o p y.

F i n a l l y, f a i n t l y s e e n p e e k i n g t h r o u g h f r o m t h e r e v e r s e o f t h e p a g e i s a c u r l i n g , b o t a n i c a l , o r n a m e n t a l m o t i f .

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Vis cominatorium (The alchemy of nature and artifice) 2021 Wa t e r c o l o u r o n Re i n d e e r Ve l l u m 45.5 x 61 cm

This gesture is in the same vein as the Brexit series seen in this exhibition, where we find crowns, coats of arms, spiked crosses and stars decorating the central pomegranate motif.

T h i s u s e o f o r n a m e n t a l m o t i f s t h r o u g h o u t J o h n ’s w o r k r e c a l l s t h e p e r i o d p r i o r t o t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e v o l u t i o n i n w h i c h t h e decorative and fine arts were not so divided as they became in the modern period. As Modernism adopted its quasi-rationalist embrace of the scientific age, ornament was eschewed as mere decoration.

For an artist in the botanical tradition, ornamentation is not a dirty word and beauty for its own sake is not suspect. This d i m e n s i o n o f J o h n ’s w o r k d r a w s o u r a t t e n t i o n t o t h e r i c h h i s t o r y o f o r n a m e n t a t i o n w i t h i t s s p e c i f i c u s e s a n d m e a n i n g s t h a t s t r e t c h e d f r o m a n t i q u i t y t h r o u g h t h e Re n a i s s a n c e a n d i n t o t h e B a r o q u e p e r i o d . A r t i s t s a n d t h i n k e r s l i k e C h r i s t o p h e r D r e s s e r a n d William Morris fought a rear-guard battle against the loss of these traditions and understandings in their design work. But m o d e r n i s t a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d d e s i g n , a f t e r a b r i e f f l i r t a t i o n w i t h A r t N o u v e a u , e m b r a c e d t h e c l e a n l i n e s s o f g e o m e t r y, t h e d e g r e e z e r o o f o r n a m e n t . F o r b o t a n i c a l a r t i s t s h o w e v e r, b e a u t y c a n n o t b e s h u n n e d : t h e y i n v i t e u s a l w a y s t o l o o k m o r e c l o s e l y, t o s h u t down our need to read and analyse and open to the fleeting beauty of the living world.

A s s o c i a t e Pr o f e s s o r D o m i n i c Re d f e r n S c h o o l o f A r t , R M I T U n i v e r s i t y, J u n e 2 0 2 2

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Garcinia mangostana (Mangosteens) 2021 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 20 x 25 cm

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Magnolia soulangeana (Chinese magnolia) 2022 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 80 x 64 cm

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Rosa x kamtschatica (Kamtschatka Rose) 2022 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 33 x 30 cm

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Rosa x hybrida (Crown Princess Margaret) 2022 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 25 x 25 cm

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Dahlia x hybrida (Balgo Jim) 2022 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 36 x 25 cm

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Hibiscus sinsenis (Morning glory) 2022 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 25 x 25 cm

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Pa p h i o p e d i l u m × h y b r i d a ( S l i p p e r O r c h i d I V ) 2 0 2 0 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 45 x 30 cm

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Nepenthes maxima x northiana (Miranda) 2022 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 36 x 30 cm

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P u n i c a g r a n a t u m v a r. n a n a ( D w a r f P o m e g r a n a t e s I ) 2 0 2 1 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 16 x 23 cm P u n i c a g r a n a t u m v a r. n a n a ( D w a r f P o m e g r a n a t e s I I ) 2 0 2 1 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 20 x 25 cm

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Camellia x japonica (Emperor of Russia) 2021 watercolour on Arches 300gsm 36 x 25 cm

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The Queen - Crown (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 1) 2020 15 x 15 cm

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The Kingdom - Kingdom (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 2) 2020 20 x 20 cm

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Boris Johnson - Corner (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 3) 2020 23 x 20 cm

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N i g e l Fa ra g e - C o r n e r (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 4) 2020 23 x 20 cm

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David Cameron - PM (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 5) 2020 20 x 20 cm

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Justice Secretary Michael Gove - Justice (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 6) 2020 20 x 20 cm

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Angela Merkel - Chancellor (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 7) 2020 25 x 25 cm

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Iain Duncan Smith - Architect (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 8) 2020 20 x 20 cm

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Theresa May - PM (Brexit Dixit Dominus Domino meo 9) 2020 15 x 15 cm

Wa t e r c o l o u r o n C a l f Ve l l u m ( e a c h )

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS

COLLECTIONS (selected)

2022 2020 2019 2017 2012 2011 2007 2006

National Gallery of Victoria Art Gallery of Ballarat The Hunt Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh USA RMIT University, Melbourne The State Library of Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK Geelong Botanic Gardens Denver Botanic Gardens National Tropical Botanic Gardens, Kauai, Hawaii H.R.H The Prince of Wales, Highgrove Florilegium H.R.H The Prince of Wales, Transylvania Florilegium Tom of Finland Foundation, USA Private collections Public and Private Collections

Botanicum Series II, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne John Pastoriza Pinol: A Survey, Tacit Art Galleries Sobriquet, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne Nubile Perfection, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne Hermes-Aphrodite. Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne Bio-Pop. Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne Botanicum Series I. Woodbine Art Gallery, Malmsbury John Pastoriza Piñol. John Adams Fine Art, Ebury Galleries, London

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (selected) 2022 2021 2021 2021 2020 2019 2019 2018 2018 2018 2017 2017 2017 2016 2016 2016 2015 2014 2014 2014 2013 2012 2012 2011 2010 2010 2010 2009 2009 2009 2008 2008 2008 2007

Queer, National Gallery of Victoria Still Now, Horsham Regional Gallery TOF Art Fair, Tom of Finland Foundation, Los Angeles USA Twenty One, Scott Livesey Galleries Pleasure RMIT University Gallery, Melbourne VIC Botanica 20th Anniversary, Art Gallery of New South Wales Transylvanian Florilegium. Romanian Gallery of Art, Bucharest Works on paper 2018 Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne Flora of Australia, Ainslie Arts Centre ACT Florilegium, Sydney’s Painted Garden. Kew Gardens, UK Romancing the Skull, Art Gallery of Ballarat Botany of Desire, Benalla Art Gallery Science and Art, Past and Future, 19th Int Botanical Congress, China Geelong Gardens Revealed, Geelong Art Gallery Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Art Gallery of Ballarat Florilegium, Sydney’s Painted Garden. Museum of Sydney Vignettes, Art Gallery of Ballarat Not-Art Fair 2014 Exhibition. Abbotsford Duets. Hunt Library of Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon Weird, Wild and Wonderful. New York Botanical Garden, New York Postcard Show. Linden Gallery of Contemporary Arts, St Kilda Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize. South Australian Museum, Adelaide Capturing Flora: 300 Years of Australian Botanical Art. Art Gallery of Ballarat Crepuscular. City Gallery, Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne Exquisite Connections. Woodbine Art Gallery, Malmsbury, Victoria Losing Paradise? Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C Highgrove Florilegium. Teylers Museum: Haarlem, Amsterdam, Holland Reframing Darwin: evolution and art in Australia. The Ian Potter Museum of Art, The University of Melbourne.

Nature I.D. Jan Manton Art Contemporary Australian + International Art The Secret Life of Plants. Linden Gallery of Contemporary Arts, St Kilda The Plasma Soul. Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne Nature +Art II. Woodbine Art Gallery, Malmsbury, Victoria Master Drawings London. The Illustration Cupboard, Crispian Riley-Smith UK 12th International Exhibition of Botanical Art. Hunt Institute, Pittsburgh, USA

PUBLICATIONS (selected) Queer: Stories from the NGV Collection, exhibition catalogue 2022 Botanical Art Techniques, Timber Press 2020 Pleasure, Dr Joesph Brennan, 32-33 Art Almanac, Feb 2020 The Transylvania Florilegium, Addison Publications, 2018 Romancing the Skull, Art Gallery of Ballarat, 2017 Nubile Perfection. Exhibition Catalogue, Scott Livesey Galleries, 2017 The Florilegium The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, 2016 Vignettes, Art Gallery of Ballarat, 2015 Capturing Flora: 300 Years of Australian Botanical Art, Art Gallery of Ballarat.

The Eternal Order in Nature: The Science of Botanical Illustration Drawing as Understanding, Drawing out 2013, RMIT University The Plant Hunters: The Adventures of the World’s Greatest Botanical Explorers, Carolyn Fry. Andre Deutsch, RBG, Kew, 2009 Wollemia nobilis, Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Volume 24, Number 3, August 2007, pp. 155-161.

Botanicals: Environmental Expressions in Art Hunt Institute Pub 2009.

The Highgrove Florilegium, Addison Publications 2008.

Catalogue 12th International Exhibition of Botanical Art and Illustration, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, 2007.

AWARDS (selected)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

2021 Best in Show, Flora the Art of the Plant, BASA. 2021 Finalist, Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre 2019 Finalist, Du Rietz Art Awards, Gympie Regional Gallery 2018 Finalist, Splash Contemporary Art Prize, McClelland Art Gallery 2018 Grand Prize, Men on Men Art Competition 2017 Winner, The Flanagan Art Prize, St Patrick’s College, Ballarat 2017 Silver Medal, Science and Art, Past and Future, Shenzhen, China 2016 Finalist, Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Art Gallery of Ballarat 2014 Winner, Beyond Bank Major Art Award 2013 American Society of Botanical Artists’ Diane Bouchier Artist Award 2012 Highly Commended, Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize 2012 Tallas Award, 15th ASBA/HSNY Annual International Exhibition 2005 Gold Medal, Royal Horticultural Society United Kingdom

I would like to thank the following for bringing this exhibition to fruition: K a r l S t a m e r - L a n t e r n Pr i n t i n g Ro g e r S t e w a r t & B r y a n G r a c e y - C P L D i g i t a l A s s o c i a t e Pr o f e s s o r D o m i n i c Re d f e r n - R M I T U n i v e r s i t y Ro b S t a n t o n & D a i n a Te n d e r - J a r m a n s F r a m i n g Amanda Ahmed - Artist Delia Soar – Artist D r M e r v i H j e l m r o o s - Ko s k i - A r t i s t Geelong School of Botanic Art S c o t t L i v e s e y, S o p h i e F o l e y & S h e l l e y B e s t - S c o t t L i v e s e y G a l l e r i e s ©

copyright 2022 | ISBN 978-0-6454880-1-2

GRANTS/RESIDENCIES (selected) 2016 Denver Botanic Gardens, Artist in Residence Program 2016 Australian Arts Council Grant (Arts projects for individuals) 2023 Oak Spring Foundation, USA, Artist in Residence Program 2016-19 National Tropical Botanic Gardens, Kauai, Hawaii

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