Local People: Elizabeth Barsham

by Hobart Magazine

Known as the Tasmanian Gothic artist, Elizabeth Barsham is a painter who interprets society with dark humour. Her work is strange, challenging, but ultimately playful. She has a solo exhibition coming to Nolan Gallery, starting 8 November for a fortnight.

How did your art journey begin? I’ve been drawing all my life, but while it was encouraged, the assumption was that I’d get a “real job” when I grew up. So I joined the public service when I left school. After a few years doodling on government desk blotters I decided I really did want to do art full time, so I left my job, moved to Melbourne to study, and gave myself a year to see how I got on. Ten years later I realised I was still painting – so I’d probably made the right choice.

What themes inform your art? I have a very strong sense of the universal connection between all things and toss together apparently unrelated objects, often partial or distorted, in my paintings. I use oil paint and a realistic style to present imaginary scenarios with a strong narrative content. I like exploring where a basic idea can lead, and sometimes it’s to very peculiar places. Humour is important, so there is always a playful aspect, but people often find the images ambiguous and disturbing.

What is it about Tasmanian Gothic that captures your interest? “Gothic” art from the Middle Ages is notable for a sense of joy in depicting the natural world, and the rich, glowing colours of stained glass windows and detailed tapestry wall hangings, all of which I find very appealing. These days Gothic sensibility is also the aesthetic of romantic decay, of ancient ruins and dark supernatural mysteries, which is fun, too. Fairy tales and myths are extremely important, but the spirits that haunt Tasmania’s rugged mountains and tangled forests are not those familiar to European settlers. We have to generate our own local equivalents.

How has the Tasmanian Gothic evolved over the years? When I registered the domain name “tasmaniangothic.com” twenty years ago the term was familiar only to literary academics, and I wrote the initial Wikipedia entry for it. Since then it has become an increasingly popular subculture, especially among filmmakers, and there are many highly imaginative writers and musicians working in the genre here. Between us we will gradually create a new uniquely Tasmanian mythology.

Who do you admire? There are some terrific artists in Hobart. I love Milan Milojevic’s incredible prints, Katy Woodroffe’s intricate designs, Katherine Cooper’s paintings of birds, and the way Michaye Boulter handles light. Too many to mention!

Favourite podcast or tv show? I don’t have a TV set; ABC Classic FM is my usual background when painting.

Secret vice? Bob Ross videos. He’s delightfully soothing.

What are you reading now? 100 Years of Solitude by Marquez. Again. I love the visual imagery it invokes.

Do you have any pets? Do ants count?

What was your first job? Base-grade clerk with the PMG, in the Accounts Payable section. It was not a success.

What are your daily news/social media habits? Listen to Radio National in the morning. Leave it on until I get bored then switch over to Classic FM. Annoy people on Facebook (yes, that dates me).

Your favourite place for…

Breakfast: Mostly I eat in my kitchen. Muesli for breakfast.

Lunch: Couple of dry biscuits and a piece of fruit.

Dinner: I probably eat out once a week; there’s a couple of small Indian restaurants I like.

Dream holiday destination? The Tarn Shelf and Mt Field East are favourite destinations.

Favourite Tasmanian secret? Succulent Restaurant at the Botanical Gardens. Favourite place to meet a friend because it’s quiet, food and coffee are good and the surroundings are beautiful.

Parting words? My aesthetic is more Bugs Bunny than Louis Buñuel; life’s too important to be taken seriously.

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Extras

Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

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