/ Travel Like an Artist: Jessilla Rogers' nostalgic places of connection /
In our latest 'Travel Like an Artist' series, Jessilla Rogers shares some of her favourite locations, which conjure up nostalgic memories of family and deep connection with people and place.
Jessilla Rogers is currently showing her collaborative exhibition with Seb Brown, Genuine Relic. Fascination with cultural artefacts has brought the two artists together, as they investigate themes of adornment, placement, vignettes, and the tension between their bold personalities and differing practices.
Genuine Relic is showing in the gallery until November 26.
Bali, Indonesia
"I travelled with my Mum to Bali. She was super reluctant to go, thinking Australians had ruined the island, yet we were so struck by how prevalent the Balinese culture was and how huge Hinduism was. The offerings everywhere were so beautiful, they were so colourful and intricate and it was really lovely to be surrounded by a culture that was so thankful."
Robe, South Australia
"I would say Robe is my favourite place on earth, mostly for nostalgic reasons, but it is still a really beautiful spot. My grandparents lived in the sand dunes on Long Beach. When I was a kid we spent every summer running from their fibro house, stomping over the dunes to scare the snakes and onto the beach which was miles long, and which we pretty much always had all to ourselves."
Wakayama, Japan
"I spent 6 months living in Japan and a few weeks living with a really lovely lady called Yuka in Wakayama prefecture. I helped her to grow food and look after her animals and she let me stay at her place and fed me. Her English was pretty limited and my Japanese was even worse but we had some amazing conversations - purpose of life kind of stuff. We would work really hard planting vegetable plots and rice fields and then snorkel in the sea to cool off, eating fresh sashimi the neighbour had caught."
Coogee Women's Baths, Sydney, Australia
"This place is a dream. Most of Sydney is a dream but this place really gets me questioning why I live in Melbourne. It’s magic; women only, a great secluded ocean pool and you can lay out on the boulders basking in the sun and looking out onto the ocean which from there, seems infinite."
The Hellenic Museum, Melbourne, Australia
"This museum is a hidden treasure in Melbourne. I feel like so many people don’t even realise it exists but it has an amazing collection and is definitely worth a visit. They have antiquities on loan from the Benaki Museum in Greece. Some of the jewellery in the collection is really great, but the stand out is a 3rd Century gold myrtle wreath; it’s mesmerising."
