Surrender
Surrender
A journal for my daughter - signed (and unique drawing) by Yeldham
*Orders purchased now will not be dispatched for delivery (Australia only) until November 21st due to the current exhibition in Melbourne.
Should you wish to collect your copy of Surrender in person we are offering two dates where collection will be available from South Avalon Headland car park. Further details are available in the postage options section.
312 pages
Imprint: Picador Australia
"Welcome to the extraordinary and wonderful world of Joshua Yeldham. I hope you wore sensible shoes." Richard Roxburgh
In this journal for his daughter Indigo, Joshua Yeldham charts his life from growing up on the Hawkesbury River to becoming one of the most astonishing artists Australia has produced in decades.
Yeldham's first foray into literature, Surrender is a stunning creation that mirrors the complexity of his artistic practice, layering painting, photography, drawing and prose. Surrender navigates Yeldham's early life from the intense pain of schoolyard bullying to his time at Rhode Island School of Design, hiking in Venezuala and his odyssey into the Australian outback in an old kombi. It's a love story too, recounting how Joshua and his wife Jo - his collaborator and a photographer in her own right - met, and their journey through his infertility, IVF, and the joy of parenthood.
Surrender is an immensely powerful work, celebrating Yeldham's deeply spiritual affiliation with the land, belief in the succour of the creative imagination, and a reverential love of nature.
"Yeldham puts heart and soul into every piece. He meditates, he communes with Nature; he strives to make every gesture feel meaningful." John McDonald, Sydney Morning Herald
"The intensely powerful journal dips in and out of the author's memories, experiences and hopes ... Yeldham is talking directly to Indigo here, and we are the lucky listeners." Vogue Australia
“Surrender' is potentially the most amazing book I have ever had the pleasure of owning (and selling). Artist, Joshua Yeldham has presented this masterpiece as a journal for his daughter. In sparse words for a journal, he details his life and what has led to his fulfilling life as an artist and loving husband and father, as well as beautifully conveying his family's affinity with art and nature. The artwork and photography (by his wife) are breathtaking and can leave you enthralled for hours as you look at the fine detail of his work. It is so well complimented by the design and presentation of the book overall. This book is a work of art which deserves to be cherished and treasured.”
- Suzie Bull
“Joshua Yeldham has created a stunning memoir, which combines his extraordinary art, his wife’s lush photography and the story of his life. It is heartbreaking and exhilarating and truly breathtaking. He reveals his years of being bullied at school for being the “sensitive boy” ( he should have stayed hidden in the library, the librarian would have protected him), and his epiphany moment, hiking in the Swiss Alps, where he discovered his inner steel to never give up. When you see his wife Jo’s art, and read her diary entries, you know that they are true kindred spirits. This memoir is a celebration of the artist process, of love, and of parenthood. It is about overcoming the obstacles that block your way and forging your own path, no matter where it leads. This would be a perfect gift for anyone looking to lead a creative life.”
- Gaby Meares
“This is a beautiful book that spans the life of artist Joshua Yeldham. Written as a journal for his daughter it explores his journey as an artist through film making, photography, painting and sculpture, and documents his relationship to nature. The book is sparsely populated with text - prose, poetry and journal entries, and richly illustrated with gorgeous colour reproductions of his artwork and photographs. Part memoir, part exegesis, 'Surrender' is a beautiful artefact of an artists life, dedicated to capturing, as Yeldham's teacher Alfred DeCredico put it, 'a slow ongoing process of development of an artist.”
-Anthony Scully