BEYOND HECTIC

BEYOND HECTIC

JESWRI is a Gadigal artist, street artist, and storyteller living on Wurundjeri Country (Melbourne). His practice blends large-scale murals, graffiti influence, and contemporary First Nations perspectives to explore what it means to exist—loudly and fractured —in modern Australia. Raised in Sydney’s Inner West graffiti scene, “hectic” isn’t just a catchphrase, it’s a worldview: a term loaded with chaos, community, and expressiveness.

Following the success of his 4th solo show HECTIC in 2024, BEYOND HECTIC revisits and expands the original body of work with over a dozen new paintings, installations, and previously unseen pieces. This new chapter comes off the back of JESWRI being named a 2025 Archibald Prize finalist—a career milestone unfolding alongside fatherhood, commissions, grief, and burnout. The exhibition is both a continuation and a reckoning: an artist circling back, honouring what’s been lost, and creating space to move forward.

Presented at the Docklands Library gallery space as part of NAIDOC Week, BEYOND HECTIC is a raw and reflective snapshot of an artist navigating survival, storytelling, and self-expression in the face of pressure.