Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia

Currently residing in the picturesque Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia, artist Josh Wright is deeply engaged in a new body of work titled Empty Farms. Empty Farms is currently on display at the Beerwah Library. This is an exhibition that challenges the Sunshine Coast’s rapid societal boom through a series of impressionistic plein air paintings. It is a powerful reflection on Australia’s ongoing farming crisis, examining how farmers have faced unprecedented adversity amid shifting economic and social conditions. The exhibition explores the impact of rising import costs including fuel, fertilizer, freight, packaging, and imported agricultural supplies alongside increasing market pressures. As urban expansion continues to reshape the Sunshine Coast landscape, many farming families have found their profit margins increasingly squeezed, threatening the viability of generational farming enterprises.

These combined pressures have forced countless farms to close their gates permanently, with many properties ultimately falling victim to corporate buyouts, transforming agricultural heritage into commercial development. Through this body of work, Empty Farms bears witness to a disappearing rural way of life. The paintings document not only the physical landscapes left behind but also the stories, traditions, and communities that have shaped the Sunshine Coast for generations. In doing so, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the cost of progress and reflect on what may be lost as economic growth continues to redefine the region’s identity.

Read about Wrights paintings, he has set up a painting blog to storyboard his journey in Sunshine Coast.