— Hope, color and care—
Near the end of 2006 and beginings of 2007, together with fellow Australian artist Peter Daverington, Janno was artist in residence for the Australian embassy in Argentina, embarking on a mural project that would incorporate an art experience and fund raising potential for less privileged children in outlying regions of Argentina. Janno and Peter painted in Tucumán, a women’s refuge in Moreno, La Plata, Barracas, and finally found themselves involved in an environmental project, painting with children and adults living in a villa (shanty town) struggling on the banks of the Riachuelo river. Peter returned to Australia and at the request of the people living there, Janno and her friends continued with the project until 2013, painting houses/murals and encouraging a cleanup and greening of the Riachuelo environment. It has been very much a grassroots project with friends and contacts such as HSBC bank, donating time or money for trees and paint. So far, most of the money has come from foreigners living in Buenos Aires. Other visiting artists have also started to help with painting over the years, such as Australian painter/printmaker Geoffry Ricardo.
It is very much a hand to mouth, or rather paint to brush grassroots painting project, however with incredible gratitude and gratefulness from the children and adults living there. The project gave some hope, colour and care to an otherwise neglected community.
— project —
Corona Girl
2021
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Embedded within Making Nonsense is an on-going, expanding, community project titled Corona Girl.
Corona Girl is a grouping of 4 metres high, multi-cultural hand stitched ‘doll, figure, beings’, intended as a global metaphor of a holding of hands and coming together in these tumultuous and challenging times.
Corona Girl represents life, loss, hope, love, optimism, vulnerability and strength. ‘Corona Girl’ is all of us, and threaded with stitches and messages from people from around the globe, sourced from an open invitation on social media.
Physical patches reflecting personal loneliness, anxieties, hope, isolation, resilience, boredom, toil, activity, connection, defiance, frustration, joy, fear, turmoil, love, care, friendship… were sent to me to stitch together to create a gigantic, flowing outer dress, lavish in layers of colour, hoops, muslin, flowers, feathers, beads, fruit and tiny lights reminiscent of South American Carnivale.
An Australian in Argentina
2012
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Trying to save our trees and planet
2021
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