Biography

Jade Oakley Bio

Jade Oakley is a practising artist. She attended the College of Fine Arts where she achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in sculpture.

Jade exhibits her work at Australian Galleries in Sydney and Melbourne. She has held solo exhibitions at Australian Galleries in Smith St, Melbourne in 2010 and Australian Galleries Glenmore Rd, Sydney in 2009. In the past Jade has exhibited at Mori Gallery in 2007, Noosa Regional Gallery in 2001, and the National Graduate Show in Perth, 1997.

Currently Jade is working on a large commission for a public space. Her past commissions include ‘Ember I’ and ‘Ember II’ for the Galaxy Casino in Macau (2011), ‘Goldengrove’ for Crown Casino (2010), ‘Spring’ for Otto Ristorante (2010), ‘Harbour’ for Quay Restaurant (2009), ‘Canopy’ for Concord Centre for Mental Health (2008), ‘Angel Trees’ mobiles for Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick (2008) and paintings for Woolworths Head Office in Norwest Business Park (2006).

Jade has been an Artist in Residence at Bundanon Artist’s Centre (2000), Noosa Regional Gallery (2001) and Vermont Studio Centre in Vermont, USA (2001) and Artist in Residence at Bondi Public School (2006).

Artist's statement

As an artist I have created paintings, installations and more recently mobiles. When I make a mobile or an installation, each element is 'pushed' to the point where it is most unstable, and most beautiful. Only when the elements have reached their 'tipping point' does the artwork take on a kind of magic - a sense of effortless levitation in space.

I use materials such as fine wire, feathers and translucent papers, so that although the works are quite robust, they carry a sense of the poetry of impermanence.

To me there is something magical about movement. I have always been transfixed by movement, especially the gentle movement of delicate forms in space.

My inspiration often comes from my environment - from the natural world - the sea or a river. For example the "tipping point" mobiles are inspired by Mallacoota - a wild, rugged wilderness where the bush meets the sea, and rivers flow back with tannin into a lake that holds its breath, then bursts out into the sea.

Jade Oakley working on Ebb Tide II