JOHN NEESON     Australia         1948 -

In ancient Greece, mimesis was an idea that governed the creation of works of art, in particular, with correspondence to the physical world understood as a model for beauty, truth, and the good. John R. Neeson’s oevre embraces mimesis with site-specific installations of mimetic works, often using the elements of light reflected from strategically positioned mirrors. His installations include still lifes of the everyday objects found on window ledges and blind niches in the side streets of Melbourne, artfully arranged and meticulously documented. Ross Wolfe observed, “John R. Neeson’s apparently orthodox representations are not entirely what they seem. Employing the mimetic  strategy of trompe l’oeil Neeson skilfully demonstrates the inexhaustible capacities of painting, in disciplined works of meditative power which replicate the actual sites in which they are then installed.” John R. Neeson lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.       He received his PhD from Monash University (Melbourne) and completed his post-graduate studies at The Royal College of Art (London). His site- specific installations have been exhibited at venues such as Arthouse and Gas Works (London), Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), ARCO (Lisbon) and AC Institute (New York). Neeson is the recipient of the American Australian Association Dame Joan Sutherland Fund and the Samsung International Visual Arts Scholarship.