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 has held successful solo exhibitions at Bondi Pavilion in 2007, Mori Gallery in 2007 and will be exhibiting in Australian Galleries in 2009. Her group exhibitions include 'A Return to Spirit' in Clifton School of Arts in 2009, 'Sound Waves' for Noosa Regional Gallery in 2001, and the National Graduate Show in Perth, 1997.

Comissions include 'Canopy', a large outdoor mobile for Concord Centre for Mental Health in 2008, paintings for Woolworths Head Office in Norwest Business Park in 2006 and 'Angel Trees' mobiles for Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, 2008.

Jade has been Artist in Residence at Bundanon Artist's Centre, Noosa Regional Gallery and Vermont Studio Centre in Vermont, USA and most recently, Artist in Residence at Bondi Public School.

Jade has been involved in many community art projects, such as directing 'Sculpture by the Schools', a sculpture festival for school children in the Waverley area, a project supported by Waverley Council, 2006-2007. Jade directed 'Make art with an artist' art workshops with students visiting Elizabeth Bay House for the Historic Houses Trust of NSW from 2005-2007. Jade also took part in artist collaborations such as 'Turning the Pages' environmental and sculptural workshops in the Hunter Valley, NSW in 2007 and 'In the Deep' sculpture workshops for Dobroyd Point Public School in 2005.

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