Jessica Rankin

CASSANDRA BIRD is thrilled to announce the debut solo exhibition Notes from an Earlier Sky by internationally acclaimed New York-based, Sydney-born Australian artist Jessica Rankin, her first commercial gallery exhibition in Sydney. This exhibition coincides with her participation in The Intelligence of Painting at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney opening March 20, 2025.

Rankin has exhibited internationally at renowned venues such as MoMA PS1 in New York and recently at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice.

In Notes from an Earlier Sky, Jessica Rankin unveils an exciting new body of work, featuring a stunning series of delicately embroidered paintings on linen, alongside a captivating collection of hand-embroidered works on paper. Rankin’s intricate paintings weave together words, memory, and landscape, creating multi-layered narratives that draw inspiration from topographical, cosmological, and psychological realms.

Rankin’s work explores time and memory through a deeply personal lens, often referencing the poetry of her mother and Poet (Jennifer Rankin), while seamlessly bridging the past and present in an ornate exploration of memory, identity, and place. This exhibition marks a significant return to the city of her birth, Sydney, reconnecting with her personal and artistic origins that shape her journey.

Jessica Rankin was born in 1971 in Sydney, Australia and lives and works in New York. Selected Solo and duo exhibitions include, White Cube Hong Kong (2024); Carlier | Gebauer, Berlin (2023) White Cube Paris (2022); White Cube Bermondsey, London (2021); Touchstones Rochdale, UK (2017); Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium (2016); Salon 94, New York (2014); Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta (2013); The Project, New York (2009); MoMA PS1, New York (2006); and Franklin Artworks, Minneapolis (2005).

Group exhibitions include Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney (2025), Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy (2024); The Uptown Triennial, New York (2017); Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK (2015); Fie Myles, New York (2011); Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco (2011); The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2006); The Project, Los Angeles (2005); and Artist’s Space, New York (2003).