Where is Joy?, at fortyfivedownstairs - 70 minutes
- Alex First
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Artist Joy Hester (21st August, 1920 – 4th December, 1960) didn’t run with the pack.
Despite being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 27, given a year to live and told to put her house in order, she continued to do things her way.
She thumbed her nose at the doctor and at the establishment.
Where is Joy? is a look at the life and times of a rebel, who was unapologetically bold.
It is the perspective of a creative who, too, has been through the wringer and can relate to Hester better than most.
I speak of writer and performer Emma Louise Pursey who plays Hester with no beg pardons.
Photos by Amber Schmidt
The latter was greatly influenced by the Heide Circle, now known as the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen, in Victoria.
There she was embraced by founders, monied bohemians Sunday and John Reed.
Hester was a contemporary of the likes of Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Charles Blackman and John Perceval.
Specialising in black ink brushwork, Hester struggled to sell her paintings during her short lifetime, but is now considered the only major female artist of the Heide Circle.
As Hester, Pursey presents snippets, or vignettes, of Hester’s life, starting with her stark diagnosis.
She talks of her difficult relationship with her mother, of abortion and affairs, and giving up a child, Sweeney, she clearly loved.
She speaks of the unseemly end to her marriage to fellow artist Albert Tucker and of her love for another artist, Gray Smith.
Against medical advice, Hester went on to have two children with Smith, son Peregrine and daughter Fern, before marrying Smith a year before she died.
Through it, Pursey gives us the impression that Hester, as a force to be reckoned with, did her best to get the most out of life, despite numerous challenges.
Strong willed, she was a fighter until the end, after which she wanted no fanfare, simply an unmarked grave.
Pursey’s performance is fervent. Verbiage tumbles from her, as we build a picture of a driven woman.
As Hester, she is passionate, angry, fraught, antsy and caring, as well as wedded to her art.
Pursey gives it her all. She is emotional in capturing the essence of Hester, who refused to be tamed.
Some of Hester’s artwork is projected onto the back wall behind a large black frame.
A smattering of music – from loud to gentle classical – also punctuates the work.
The composer and visual content designer is Sarah Mary Chadwick, while Lindy Macauley is responsible for the set and costuming.
Pursey is dressed casually in a light shirt and jeans.
Known for her gritty work, director Susie Dee ensures that Emma Louise Pursey captured a relentless intensity of thought and feeling.
Hester had much to live for and Pursey brings that to the fore.
Where is Joy? is on at fortyfivedownstairs until 9th November, 2025.
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