About

Janet Besançon

Australian/French contemporary artist

Based in Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia, Janet Besançon creates large-scale abstract paintings using natural pigments, clay, charcoal and mixed media.

Her practice explores memory, healing, feminism, identity and our relationship with the land. Many of her pigments are collected on Gumbaynggirr Country with permission from local Elders and matriarchs, reflecting an ongoing commitment to respect, dialogue and cultural acknowledgement.

Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Australia and internationally.

Artist Statement

I am an Australian/French contemporary artist working across large-scale abstract paintings, intimate original works on paper, monoprints and conceptual series. Regardless of scale or medium, my practice explores memory, healing, human connection and our relationship with the land.

Material is at the heart of my work. I paint with natural pigments collected in France and on Gumbaynggirr Country, on the east coast of Australia, alongside Australian clay, charcoal, acrylic and textile elements. Before collecting pigments on Gumbaynggirr Country, I sought permission from local Aboriginal matriarchs. Before every exhibition, I present my work to these women as a gesture of respect, ensuring that this relationship remains one of dialogue, gratitude and cultural acknowledgement.

Australian clay occupies a central place in my practice. Traditionally associated with healing, it becomes both a material and a metaphor for resilience, repair and transformation. Every pigment carries the memory of a place; every layer becomes part of a conversation between landscape, history and lived experience.

My practice unfolds through several interconnected bodies of work. Some explore the expressive potential of abstraction through large-scale paintings, where gesture, colour and texture evoke movement, emotion and the quiet power of the natural world. Others, including monoprints and smaller original paintings, embrace spontaneity and intimacy, allowing experimentation with mark-making and material.

My ongoing series Monokini examines women's experiences through abstraction, using clay and charcoal to question vulnerability, social expectations, domestic labour and healing. Rather than illustrating these themes, the works create spaces for reflection, inviting viewers to bring their own stories and interpretations.

Across all my work, I seek to create paintings that remain open rather than prescriptive—works that encourage contemplation, curiosity and conversation.

My ambition is for these works to travel internationally, opening dialogues between cultures, communities and generations. I particularly value artist talks and public engagement, believing that meaningful conversations are a natural extension of the artwork itself.

Many colours. One Earth.

Biography

Janet Besançon is an Australian/French contemporary artist based in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. Working with natural pigments, Australian clay, charcoal and mixed media, she creates abstract paintings that explore memory, healing, identity and our relationship with the land. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across Australia and internationally.