Late each year, Goolugatup Heathcote presents the TILT program, a major site-responsive commission from a WA artist.
An artist is invited to respond to Goolugatup's complex history,landscape and culture by creating a new body of work. TILT provides local artists with an opportunity to bring a range of ideas and practice to new audiences, plus engage with a heritage site. Artists work in residence in our studios, and are provided access to our historical resources. TILT is an invitational exhibition.
JesseeLee Johns is the 2025 TILT artist, based in Boorloo, Western Australia, wherehe was born in 1980 and continues to live and work. Jessee’s journey in thearts began with a Bachelor of Fine Art from Curtin University, although headmittedly struggled to fully grasp the academic environment. This led to asignificant break from the formal practice of fine art.
In time, Jessee returned to painting, yet faced the challenge of finding appropriate spaces to exhibit his work. This led to the creation of a gallery in a Perth suburb, an area known for its fly dumping. Dubbed CIOMA, the gallery hosted a series of exhibitions before it was occupied and eventually demolished. However, the legacy of CIOMA lived on in various forms, most notably as an alternate future that re-emerged in 2018.
In 2017, Jessee founded the Commonwealth of New Bayswater, a self-declared micro-nation of which he is the sole citizen. The Commonwealth’s borders materialise sporadically, typically in conjunction with the Fremantle Biennale, and are as fleeting as an algal bloom.
Jessee is also the proprietor of Prestige Bricks, a business that specialises in crafting distinctive feature bricks, repairing damaged ones, and addressing the broader housing crisis. His artistic practice reflects a deep, intentional misunderstanding of the world, driven by a desire to create works that offer shelter to the human spirit amidst the overwhelming forces of rationality,especially the economic systems that dominate today. Through his work, Jessee continues to explore a world in which he admits he may never fully understand,but in which he remains steadfastly engaged.
