Art
No Order Magazine talks with the artist.
My name is Isabelle Cowan. I'm a Meanjin-based artist working between mediums and working with process.
How did your career begin?
I've been practicing since I was very young.
I've been lucky both my parents are very supportive of constant experimentation, practice and play in art, and so I took that to art school. I was able to kind of leave art school with more critical skills along with my love of play and experimentation.
What does art mean to you? Is it personal?
I used to think it wasn't personal and when I was studying I used to think that I could remove myself from my art and from the final product. I think since I've graduated and over the last two years, I've learned that it's not possible to remove yourself. It's not possible for me to make work about the body without including the idiosyncrasies of my own body. For instance, the way that I move my hand and draw an arm is also a reflection of my hand and my arm and my brain and the way that I make work. I think now it is very personal. I don't think about myself when I make work, but a lot of my work is unintentionally self portraiture.
Image courtesy of the artist.
What advice do you have for emerging artists?
Fuck around and find out. Go to shows and talk to people, not in a corny, networky way, but discourse and discussion about work is your best friend. Making work in a vacuum can be wonderful, but I think getting advice, getting feedback, working collaboratively is a great strength of Brisbane's art scene.
Read the full interview in Issue 04
Published: 18th July 2025