Jill Chism : Remnants

Remnants showcases a compelling collection of installation, assemblage, and mixed media works by Oak Beach-based artist Jill Chism. The exhibition brings together a selection of existing works in conversation with new creations, contextualising Chism’s enduring practice in Far North Queensland since the early 1990s.

Rather than presenting a dystopian outlook, Remnants explores the evolving relationship between humanity and the natural world through material investigations. Chism’s work interrogates what remains—both physically and spiritually—while challenging the cultural illusions of separateness and materialism.

With a philosophical and ecological lens, Remnants invites viewers to consider a deeper, more connected existence—one that acknowledges our shared relationship with the earth, each other, and the cosmos.

An exhibition publication accompanying Remnants is available for purchase through the NorthSite store.

This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia and administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Additionally it received support from the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) with Douglas Shire Council. 

My work exults wood in particular as a primal, alive material. There is something fundamental and profound about our engagement with this organic material: a resonance that we mostly don’t have with the technological or man-made,’ says Chism. ‘Wood exudes life, even after it is bleached, burnt, exposed to the elements, and discarded. This aliveness enters into the creative process and, in turn, the exchange between work and viewer. ”