PROVIDE SPACE: EXHIBITION

I Crossed My Fanny Flaps for You Beleived in Me by Neisha Phipps

An exhibition of desert paintings for my best friend.


In 2023 I took a field trip to rural NSW -Wilyakali Country, exploring the Darling Barka - to visit my best friend who I hadn’t seen since he took off across the country in 2020. Joshua De Gruchy, an amazing artist (who was coincidently the first artist in the studios at the naval
store back in the day). We spent some time together and then I spent 3 weeks alone in the desert. I spent 4 weeks painting with Dulux house paint that I scavenged from an old
commercial outdoor painting business. I had officeworks blue, Woolworths cream and green Petbarn yello etc.. Prior to reaching the desert I was doing vibrant, cartoonish artwork.
When I got to the desert I understood what Joshua meant when he said ‘wait til you get here’.

The colours in the desert are incredible. Harsh warm sun, sun bleached greens and pinks and muted greys. Rust. Dirt. Earth. It's very inspiring. I am amazed at the colours I was able to achieve on my pallet with my hot runny dulux house paint recycled paints into old jars lugged across the country.
Being alone in the desert - I couldn't hide from myself anymore. I was confronted with my addictions and my mental health. I was calling lifeline to get out of bed in the morning and then going into dried out creeks and painting on the country with my coles basket of hosue paints in old jam jars and tomato sauce bottles. A ridiculous set up. I look back at this body of work as one of my most unique, site specific, beautiful, representational, meaningful cohesive, interesting and transformative bodies of work. Although stylistically very different to my main practice - historically and current, it captures the essence of the desert - and is in honour of friendship. The works are ornate and intricate but also rough. One of them is way overworked and bad. But together they sit beautifully. They are influenced by the was Joshua was practising at the time, the way he interprets the landscape in an interesting abstract way. This exhibition is about friendship and trust. It’s about expanding my own practsie and visual language and exploring this beautiful country.