Art on the Move brings Ronald Courtney Institute from the whimsical world of Jessee Lee Johns to Porongurup

A visit to the Ronald Courtney Institute in Porongurup means entering the surreal world of artist Jessee Lee Johns. Johns has created a fictional country, The Commonwealth of New Bayswater, and declared its cultural outpost to be the Ronald Courtney Institute, an art installation at Karribank, 1983 Porongurup Road. It is part of Art on the Move’s itinerary for 2025, funded by the State Government’s regional exhibition touring boost, and is not the first time Johns has featured his make-believe micronation in his work. He has previously created embassies, a beach resort and a temple and while it’s mostly whimsy, he’s also trying to figure out the real world. “I like to communicate that the way the world works is a fiction we have agreed to and can change,” he said. He arrived in Porongurup aiming to trade his labour for the recycled materials he needed to build the institute, but local people were so generous he has not had to work. He has been curating events at the installation since it opened on April 19 but he’s not sure of the work’s long-term future, if it can stay or will have to be uninstalled. The exhibit’s finale is on Sunday, May 11 when there will be live music, a barbecue and a pallet deconstruction competition. “Pallet deconstruction is a major sport in New Bayswater,” Mr John said. “People are judged on speed, style and usability of the deconstructed pieces, with penalties for leaving nails on the ground.”