Burgess’s interest in art began when he was visiting London when he was 15. It was in the wandering of famous galleries like the National Gallery, Serpentine, and the Tate Modern where his imagination became enveloped by art. He took this passion back to his native Australia and despite his use of paint, Burgess does not see himself as a “painter.” He sees art as something more than a visual medium.Art is an “idea machine.” It is a “way of thinking.” He sees himself as a manipulator and maker of images.
Burgess studied contemporary fine art at the University of Western Sydney in Australia with a focus on decoding images and flipping the script on traditional art mindsets. He draws inspiration from the multitude of contemporary female artists in the 1970s and 1980s. Two of his professors were Debra Porch and Julie Rrap, whose work focused on how the “everyday” can become the “extraordinary”. Burgess takes examples from the neo-conceptual work of Jenny Holzer, abstract expressionism of Helen Frankenthaler and Cy Twombly, and landscape art of John Olsen.
After his schooling, Burgess established an art space in an old bank with other art enthusiasts in Sydney called “Space3.” For a few years, he took on the roles of curator, director, and promoter. Space3 not only advocated visual art, but also dance, fashion, and music.
It was in the uncertainty of the pandemic that Burgess was inspired to do a sequel to his 2019 “Poster Jerk” show. His American and Australian sojourn roused him to do a more mature “Poster Jerk” 2.0. He emphasizes the need to focus on figuration as opposed to dealing with conflicting designs and objectives. At the same time, a show should not be too heavy-handed in one direction. “Poster Jerk” is an attempt at striking that grave balance by realizing the solemn nature of the world, while having a chuckle.
