Jo Travis is a Melbourne based stencil artist, painting under the pseudonym of N2O since 2016. Her distinctive, hand-cut, multi-layer stencils are often site-specific and playfully interact with the built environment, creating a moment of surprise, delight and wonder in the urban setting.
Exploring ideas of childhood and memory, N2O creates works that evoke nostalgia and encourage reflection. Her work aims to remind us of a time when we did things for the pure joy of it and to inspire our adult selves to again embrace this ideal. Viewing childhood in the context of the past, present and future, N2O explores how childhood shapes us and how play connects us.
With a background in ceramic design, Jo completed a BA of Fine art, her early work focused on creating large scale sculptural ceramic works inspired by the shapes and textures found in nature. Over the years she has worked in a variety of disciplines including ceramics, painting, pastel drawing, and printmaking, all of which have influenced her current practice.
N20 has contributed to various group shows and was shortlisted for the 2019 Stencil Art prize. She has completed numerous public works and private commissions both locally and internationally.
Selected exhibitions & Prizes
2023
Flying the Coop - Solo Show - Off the Kerb - Collingwood
Dealer’s Choice - Just Another Agency - Group show - Oshi Gallery. Collingwood
Moss Foundation Skate Deck Group Show - Iionia Gallery- South Yarra
St Kilda Streetart Gathering Show -Rus Kitchin Gallery- St Kilda
15 Artists - Quadrant Gallery - Kew
2022
Moss Foundation Skate deck group show- Magnate Gallery- Docklands Melbourne
Moss foundation Deck art show- Mint Gallery -Gold Coast
Cutting it fine - Group show- Revolver Upstairs, Melbourne
2021
Prism City - Hue and cry collective- Geelong
Moss foundation Deck show, Ambush Gallery Sydney
2020
Background Bob & his friends - Firstsite Gallery -Colchester -UK
Subterranean Femmes (Curator & Contributing Artist) -The Dirty Dozen - Campbell Arcade - Melbourne
2019
Animalia - Off the Kerb Gallery - Collingwood
12 x 12 exhibition - The Stockroom Gallery - Collingwood
The Blender Studios show - West Melbourne
Vivarium – The Stockroom Gallery - Collingwood
International Women’s day exhibition - The Stockroom Gallery (Clifton Hill)
2019 -2021 Stencil Art Prize - Shortlisted - travelling exhibition
2018
12”x12” - The Stockroom Gallery - Clifton Hill
Sphere - Off the kerb Gallery - Collingwood
2017
Bring a plate - The Stockroom - Ringwood
#ownit exhibition The Meat Market - North Melbourne
Dodgy art show - The Stockroom Gallery - Ringwood
1993
Interiority - Final year group show - Monash University- Melboure
The Walkers Award - Melbourne Arts Center - Melboure
Fresh - Student award exhibition - Craft Victoria -West Melbourne
Publications & Media
Better Homes and Gardens – Magazine- July 2021
Better homes & Gardens – Season 27 Episode 18 Selected 2021
Background Bob and his Amazing friends II 2021
Cut - 10 Years if the stencil prize, 2020
Background Bob and his Amazing friends 2020
The Daily Telegraph UK, 2019
Burn City – Melbourne’s painted Streets, Chamberlin 2017
OMKalen – for Elletube - (The Ellen Degeneres show ) https://www.ellentube.com/studios/OMKalen/omkalen-down-under-kalen-s-first-time-in-australia.html
