Jo Shulha

The Omen!’ Project

Every cataclysmic event on earth has had a record of its' happening - through fossils, artefacts, parchment and more. Jo Shulha’s whimsical practice lures the viewer in, subverts their expectations, and presents them with an installation of artworks (artefacts) alluding to the apocalypse to come. Doomsday in a deceivingly vibrant cloak. A world-building of the world ending.

Through a wide use of mediums including painting, sculpting, printmaking, artist-book-making, and mural making, she explores the multifaceted nature of apocalypse; the various ways in which it can come to be. Many of her artworks are inspired by the Apocalypse of Thomas (a historical document with 15 warning signs of the apocalypse), however equally many works are inspired by personal experiences and current social-economic events - ranging from fond memories of her family in Ukraine, to relationships, war, climate change, a Swiss church replacing confessionals with an Al Jesus, and a sigma male epidemic - all presented in varying degrees of subtlety which provide each viewer with a different experience based on their contextual knowledge. Her approach is heavily resonant with that of artist Debjani Banerjee, who creates artworks that are "both deeply personal and universally resonant" (CCA, 2024).