Ian draws inspiration from the personal experiences and their coincidence in ‘personal landscapes’, producing works of energetic imagination. His combined works are rarely representations of specific locations but rather responses to the places in which the artist puts himself and his subjects.

The question of belonging permeates much of the studio output. Ian’s own experience as a child migrant clearly affects his perception of our connections with this land. It is a strange place, with its own rhythms, regularly and brutally interrupted by human incursions. He explores his, and our, attempts to coexist in this difficult terrain and climate. These early works   were a response to scattered thoughts, local sketching and reading on the settlement of Gippsland. Books such as Wednesdays Closest to the Full Moon by Barry Collett provided much of the raw material for the paintings which were mostly large oil on linen works

In August 2001, the Howard Government of Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa, carrying 438 rescued refugees (predominantly Hazaras of Afghanistan from a distressed fishing vessel in international waters) to enter Australian waters. This triggered an Australian political controversy in the lead up to a federal election, and a diplomatic dispute between Australia and Norway.

When the Tampa entered Australian water, the Prime Minister ordered the ship be boarded by Australian special forces. This brought censure from the government of Norway, which said the Australian government failed to meet its obligations to distressed mariners under international law at the United Nations. Within a few days, the government introduced the Border Protection Bill  into the House of Representatives, saying it would confirm Australian sovereignty to "determine who will enter and reside in Australia". The government introduced the "Pacific Solution", whereby the asylum seekers were taken to Nauru where their refugee status was considered, rather than in Australia. These are some of the works that are representative of that period.

The 2004 exhibition at Dickerson Gallery in Melbourne consisted of paintings and mostly large charcoal drawings that moved from coastal subjects to earthy landscapes that drew heavily on the concept of an internal seas that once flowed over the barren landscapes. 

Since Ian bracegirdles last exhibition in 2004 there has been a seismic shift in the Zeitgeist

USE THE TEXT FROM THE CATALOGUE

It seemed appropriate to share 45 downstairs large gallery with Smiley Williams in 2009 . We had spent a great deal of time over  summer, out in the bush , in the You Yangs and on the Murray River.

With our memories of the drought now fading I still think that the work and the pallette of both artists reflected the climatic conditions which were challenging.

Sculpture in various materials and scale

A selection of drawings from various recent exhibitions, most of which are either charcoal, chalk or graphite on paper.