Janet Laurence (born 4 March 1947)[1] is an Australian artist, based in Sydney, who works in photography, sculpture, video and installation art.
[2] Her work is an expression of her concern about environment and ethics, her "ecological quest" as she produces art that allows the viewer to immerse themselves to strive for a deeper connection with the natural world.
She was particularly struck by Alan Sonfist's permanent installation Time Landscape (1965–) a garden presented as a work of art.
[2] 1982 She returned to Sydney and continued studying at the City Art Institute, part of the University of New South Wales.
[8] She is cited as stating that the acceptance of installation art in Australia began in 1991 when she was commissioned to create the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Canberra War Memorial.
The work, created in conjunction with the architectural firm Tonkin Zulaikha, consists of four pillars of different materials that soar upward in the hall of memories.
[10] In the early 2000s her work became increasingly political as well as poetic, as she intentionally began to focus on the triangle of artist, artwork and viewer.
[14] Elixir, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan; This is a wooden traditional Japanese house that incorporates a glass panel screen printed with poured paint.
Her work, Deep Breathing Resuscitation for the Reef (Australia Museum) focused on the fragility of the Great Barrier Reef—a World Heritage Site—because of climate change.
The critically acclaimed installation used pigment as well as acrylic boxes and laboratory glass to enclose wet specimens and coral.