The Local - Mt VictoriaA new artwork at Circa Theatre is the work of Mt Victoria artist Glen Jorna. Sharon Greally caught up with him.
Glen Jorna reckons Mt Victoria has been the making of him.
“Moving to New Zealand was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life, and Mt Vic in particular. Growing up in Brisbane as a kid with a strict Catholic upbringing wasn’t a great experience for me – I couldn’t be myself. It was only moving here with my ex 25 years ago that my life changed. I was teaching high school art over in Australia but not really enjoying it. So when I moved here, I did some courses at City art Gallery and The Learning Connection.”
He loves the multi culturalism of Mt Vic and its closeness to the city, as well as being a great neighbourhood to live in.
Jorna started teaching at Wellesley College in Eastbourne 15 years ago, and loves his job. He even gets to have his own studio there, which is great he says, as he can just enjoy being with his partner at home in Mt Vic. If he had his studio at home, he said he would never see him.
Glen is a very vibrant character, just like his art. He is also a DJ, which he learned on line over Covid. He bought the gear, and now plays gigs regularly as his alter ego ‘Jimmy Fade’. He has just played in Auckland and Wellington at the Rainbow and Pride parades respectively, and is off to play at the prestigious Beresford bar in Sydney for Mardi Gras. Not bad considering it only been a few years!
But back to his art. Jorna says “It’s art that tries to capture urban decay and beauty’. He collects ripped torn posters from the streets and using collage and paint, he tries to “replicate what’s on the streets”. His works have a powerful energy about them. He is a regular exhibitor at the New Zealand and other regional art shows, and is also the organiser for Artbourne at Wellesley College.
It was at a group exhibition that his work was spotted by arts doyenne Dame Carolyn Henwood, and she approached Jorna about commissioning a piece for the new renovation of Circa Theatre. She liked the energy of Jorna’s work, and wanted him to create a work using old theatre posters. The only stipulation was that he use red, Circa’s signature colour.
The resulting work, ‘The Creative Chaos of Circa’, hangs proudly on the new theatre walls and is full of drama and excitement. Of the work Jorna says: “This title celebrates the vibrant, messy, and beautiful energy of both the artwork and the performances at Circa. It suggests that creativity flourishes in chaos, and Circa thrives on the unexpected—where ideas and emotions collide to create something extraordinary. It is a bold and unapologetic celebration of the unpredictable.”
And it’s all right on our doorstep! Go check it out.
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