My story
I make contemporary jewellery, objects, and installations about place and what it means to belong to a changing world.
Wearable art forms are an effective way to communicate about these ideas, given their proximity to the body, the way they move through sites, and the meanings we ascribe to them. They act as signifiers of what we believe. They can be objects of curiosity or act as conversation starters.
Working from a solar-powered, off-grid studio on an island south of Hobart/Nipaluna, in Australia, I focus on the issues affecting us all. But, because I live and work in a regional community, this is where my practice is centred.
Much of my professional life has involved work with groups of people in community-building roles, as well as training, research, and the evaluation of social, educational, and art programs.
After studying jewellery and object design, I began to exhibit my work, participating in group and solo shows in my own community, across Australia, and overseas.
New skills have been gained through courses and residencies in Bangkok, Florence, and North Vietnam.
In 2025, I completed a Master of Fine Arts (Research) at the University of Tasmania with a focus on history, place, and the environmental legacies associated with particular materials and places.
I've always worked with words. They are powerful. They connect us. Now I embed text into fragments of discarded or re-purposed materials - metals, wood, found objects, and plastic waste. Words flow over edges, patinas and paints highlight or disguise them. Many sentences are incomplete, creating space for the viewer to engage, to be part of the story. The fragments symbolise what I see as a yet-to-be-completed project, for many settler Australians, of learning to belong in an environmentally sustainable way.
In my current practice, I harness my community-building, arts, research, and training skills to work with communities.
Through the AWEAR: making wearable gestures of hope about climate change project
I share skills, create space for conversations, and make art with and alongside others.
Yes, I still make some of my own wearable artworks that are available for purchase, but my practice is multi-faceted and socially engaged.
Janine Combes