IN a wry take on consumerism and the housing ladder, artist Jessee Lee Johns has built a spartan home inside an art gallery.

Dwelling is an immersive suburban world, where the boundaries between art, architecture, and everyday life blur.

There’s a letterbox, bed, shower cubicle and other fragments of suburbia, all staged as sculpture.

It’s a clever reflection on what we need to feel sheltered, comfortable and at ease.

• Artist Jessee Lee Johns in his upcycled home in Dwellin

“I wanted to explore what happens when the idea of a house is stripped back to its essentials—when shelter becomes sculpture,” Johns said.

“It’s not about building a perfect home, but about questioning what we really need to feel safe and comfortable.

“The TILT commission gave me the chance to respond directly to this place, and I’ve used materials found around Goolugatup to shape something provisional and personal.

“It’s a house built from fragments and ideas.” 

Constructed from found materials, including timber and fencing retrieved from the grounds of Goolugatup, the work is in stark contrast to the riverside mansions nearby.

The Perth-born artist is known for challenging the structures, both physical and social, that shape how we live.

His previous projects include a self-declared micro-nation The Commonwealth of New Bayswater, a gallery in a fly-tipping zone, and a brickworks company that doubles as social commentary.

City of Melville senior curator Jana Braddock says the exhibition offers a thoughtful and quietly subversive response to place. 

“Jessee Lee Johns’ Dwelling invites audiences to reflect on the boundaries between shelter, memory, and imagination,” she says.

“Through this year’s TILT commission, Jessee has reshaped the gallery into a space that feels both familiar and unexpected. It resonates with the layered histories and evolving spirit of Goolugatup Heathcote.”

Johns’ work has been featured in major national festivals, including the Fremantle Biennale and The Unconformity in Tasmania.

At the Biennale, he repeatedly opened the borders of his fictional state The Commonwealth of New Bayswater presenting immersive installations such as the Monastery of New Bayswater—a two-storey sanctuary for reflection, shared meals and spiritual inquiry.

At The Unconformity, his practice continued to explore themes of place, resilience and social infrastructure, contributing to a program embedded in the rugged landscape of Queenstown, Lutruwita/Tasmania.

This blending of art and architecture in Dwelling is characteristic of his practice.

The TILT commission has been running since 2008 and has previously featured artists like Curtis Taylor, Emma Buswell, Tom Mùller, and Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Anna Louise Richardson. 

Dwelling is at Goolugatup Heathcote, 58 Duncraig Road, Applecross until January 18. For more info see goolugatup.com.