It Only Hurts When I Laugh | John Rowe

British artist John A Rowe lives and works in the Blue Mountains, where he paints primarily with acrylic on canvas. Rowe studied Fine Art at several European institutions, most notably the Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna, where he studied under the influential and remarkable Austrian painter Maria Lassnig.

Having lived with acute anxiety and nervous tension since early childhood, Rowe’s work is driven by a compulsion to give form to inner unease. He is drawn to artists who confront the human condition with emotional intensity, distortion, and unflinching honesty, such as Egon Schiele, Chaïm Soutine, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud.

“It Only Hurts When I Laugh” brings together a body of work that mainly balances psychological discomfort with a sharp, often mischievous sense of humour. These paintings explore the absurdity embedded within fear, vulnerability, and self-awareness, revealing Rowe’s distinctive ability to hold opposing states at once. Morbidity and playfulness, restraint and excess, collapse and composure coexist, resulting in images that are as comically thought-provoking as they are disarmingly human.

“It Only Hurts When I Laugh”, will open alongside our other exhibitions: “On Show: Exploring the Light” by Canberra Art Workshop, “Blue Mountains Portrait Journey” by Patrick Hromas, and “Fleeced # 1 – Carnage/ La Matanza” by Fernando Pino. 

Don’t miss the opening of these fantastic exhibitions on Thursday 19 March, from 6-8pm. 

This event is free to attend, register your interest via the ticket link below to RSVP! 

https://events.humanitix.com/new-exhibitions

Exhibitions run from Friday 20 March to Sunday 12 April 

Gallery opening times: Wednesday to Sunday, 12 – 5pm. 

John A. Rowe, Variations on a Catatonic Scale, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist

For more information visit https://www.m16artspace.com.au/