Jon Cattapan’s detailed and atmospheric works deal primarily with ways of representing urban landscapes and narratives. His practice is based in the traditional mediums of painting and drawing, with much of his work being underpinned by explorations of how the human form can be visualised through different stylistic means, from figuration to abstraction. Within his saturated, layered vistas and figurative groupings we see influences of contemporary global culture and recent history, that range from science fiction and film, through to the representations of conflict and urban social debates.
Cattapan is one of Australia’s most established and highly-respected artists, having been awarded some of the country’s top accolades for achievements in visual art, including the prestigious Bulgari Art Award in 2013. Since the beginning of his career in 1978, he has presented over sixty solo exhibitions and his works are represented in most Australian state and territory collections. In 2006, he was honoured with a major retrospective, The Drowned World: Jon Cattapan works and collaborations, at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne. In 2008 Cattapan took up a commission through the Australian War Memorial as Australia’s 63rd Official War Artist, and was deployed to Timor Leste, where he explored Night Vision technology as an aesthetic tool, which continues to inform his work.
Imagine a Raft (Chandelier Group)
2012
oil on linen
180.0 × 250.0 cm
Little Fires
2021
oil and acrylic on linen
2 parts, overall: 140.0 × 280.0 cm
Fortress Falling
2025
STATION Naarm/Melbourne
installation view
Photo: Simon Strong
Untitled (Trap Study Red)
2024
oil and acrylic on Belgian linen
60.0 × 45.0cm
Dark Eternity
2016
oil on linen
185.0 × 250.0 cm
STRATUM
2019
STATION Naarm/Melbourne
installation view
Particle Days
2022
STATION Naarm/Melbourne
installation view
Two Figures Carrying
2022
oil and acrylic on linen
190.0 × 190.0 cm
Imagine a Raft: Hard Rubbish No. 15
2012
oil on linen
195.0 × 168.0 cm
Imagine a Raft 4 + 5
2012
oil on linen
3 parts, 140.0 × 140.0 cm each
Study Group No. 4
2012
oil on linen
50.0 × 50.0 cm
Fortress Falling
205
STATION Narrm/Melbourne
installation view
Photo: Simon Strong
After the Rain
2021
oil and acrylic on linen
168.0 x 195.0 cm
The World is Turning
2022
oil and acrylic on linen
200.0 × 300.0 cm
Study Group No. 5
2012
oil on linen
50.0 × 50.0 cm
Signal Group
2016
oil on linen
185.0 × 250.0 cm
Particle Days
2022
STATION Naarm/Melbourne
installation view
Constellation Group II
2018
oil and acrylic on linen
185.0 × 250.0 cm
Eternity No1
2014
oil on linen
198.0 × 336.0 cm
Particle Mist
2021
oil and acrylic on linen
180.0 × 250.0 cm
Double Throw
2022
oil and acrylic on linen
two panels, overall: 140.0 × 280.0 cm
Constellation Group
2018
oil and acrylic on linen
140.0 × 180.0 cm
Terrain
2015
oil on linen
198.0 × 168.0 cm
The Blankets
2010
oil and acrylic on linen
180.0 × 250.0 cm
Naarm / Melbourne
9 Ellis Street
South Yarra, Victoria 3141
Australia
+61 3 9826 2470
Gadigal / Sydney
91 Campbell Street
Surry Hills, New South Wales 2010
Australia
+61 2 9055 4688
