In Praise of Folly
Exhibition Dates. 19 Feb – 6 June 2026
IN PRAISE OF FOLLY
at Offthekerb Gallery
Melbourne, Australia
Artist. Jim Grant
My paintings and pottery just bubble up. They are not thought through. They begin as dreams and then either develop or fail. They come from the most basic (and probably better) parts of me that are about friendship and beauty, animals, fun and humour. Some may interpret them as being about decadence or mischief, but I would prefer to say that they are about folly and beauty, which I think are very deeply and intrinsically linked.
After many years working closely with animals, with First Nations Peoples, and with some incredibly attuned people working closely with animals, I believe that animals experience the world very closely to the way we do. I believe that they have much deeper aesthetic responses, and stronger intuitive senses than most of us, largely unburdened by the tragic fallacies of both logic and religion. In terms of purpose, the artworks will hopefully make a tiny contribution to the beauty and enjoyment and mystery of the world. The artworks are a tiny counter to the overwhelming world of competition, argument, logic, achievement, and greed that inevitably destroy humanity, nature and our souls.
Photographed by Nani P - post via instagram @nani.visit
