Through the Clouds, 2023

Having grown up in Melbourne’s inner-city, I have long been inspired by it’s streets and architecture. The buildings have formed such a fundamental part of my upbringing, and have shaped my view of the city. Increasingly I use this architecture to explore the idea of the alienation of life within a large city. My work explores the juxtaposition between the close proximity in which we live, and the distance and sense of isolation which so often comes along with that life. I look at these buildings several times a week, and there is always something about seeing them at dusk that feels evocative, as the last light fades. Even when there are people around, It can always feel somewhat melancholy as the darkness creeps up on the old architecture and it begins to fade away.

Joe Whyte is a Melbourne-based Visual Artist. After graduating from Monash University with a degree in Visual Communication, he spent time studying classical drawing and painting in Argenton-Chateau, France.
Working in oils, his intricate paintings draw inspiration from the people, the places and the light of the place he knows best, Melbourne’s inner-north.
Joe has exhibited widely, and has been shortlisted for numerous awards both nationally and internationally. He was the winner of the 2023 Harden Prize for landscape.
He can be found sitting in the streets and laneways of Melbourne, sketchbook in hand.