ARTEXPRESS 2026 – Body of work analysis

Women’s business, especially as a young woman, is central to my body of work. This work represents not only my personal strength but also the collective resilience of Indigenous women. Traditionally, dilly bags were made by Indigenous women during yarning circles, where stories were shared and family bonds deepened. In making dilly bag forms in clay I draw on the natural textures and contours of the land. By working with clay – a strong, enduring material – in place of the softer fibres traditionally used, I convey the enduring strength of women and culture.

My artmaking practice is influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Justine Wellman, Blood Blossom, Ground up [exhibition]; Rosalie Gascoigne / Lorraine Connelly-Northey [collaboration]; Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Kooliman, Possum skin cloak: Blackfella road, String Bag; Tiarna Herczeg, Wuljajiku (Forever), Airspace.

My body of work conveys the essence of Australian summer – its warmth, spontaneity and quiet nostalgia. Inspired by my childhood in Port Macquarie, each coloured pencil drawing represents family photographs as moments suspended in light. My intention is for the soft edges and candid compositions to communicate the fleeting simplicity of those days, celebrating the beauty found in ordinary, sun-soaked moments.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Amii Harwood, Maude Ovize, Lana Del Rey.

Undertow Halo investigates perception and its ability to alter how we engage with the world around us. In making my body of work I found myself in dialogue with my surroundings. A fleeting reflection – the shift of light, or the irregularity of a shadow – was more than incidental: it became a site of meaning. My work represents these moments, making them into records. Verisimilitude is always in flux, formed as much by the audience’s inner state as by the external world. Who truly inhabits a space: the body, the mind, or the subtle message of the environment itself?

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Man Ray, Olive Cotton, Olga Karlovac, Katrin Koenning, Saul Leiter, Wolfgang Tillmans, Francesca Woodman, Antoine d’Agata, Seamus McGarvey, Robert Yeoman.

My concept for Eternal Apotheosis was that certain human ideas and values are so abundant throughout history that they become almost divine. My body of work represents the profound and continuing conversation between the past and future, between Greek deities who symbolise ancient civilisations’ values and beliefs and powerful women in modern culture. My work pairs paragons of celestial wonder (Urania, Jill Tarter), aesthetic beauty (Aphrodite, Alek Wek), musical creation (Apollo, Nina Simone), elemental value (Poseidon, Yusra Mardini) and moral justice (Themis, Ruth Bader Ginsburg). I encourage audiences to consider humanity’s heritage and the present, side by side.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Michelangelo, Stan Prokopenko, Scott Hutchison.

The Making of an Honest Self-Portrait is dedicated to the deity Fate. My intention in my body of work was to examine the small part which I represent of Fate’s universe-encompassing artwork and to convey how every human is meticulously forged by the people, objects and experiences Fate brings into their lives. I encourage the audience to use my work to reflect on how Fate has crafted each of them and to seek the ultimate purpose of their life in playing out Fate’s great work.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Marina Abramovic and Ulay, Relation in Space; Salvador Dali, Soft Self Portrait with Grilled Bacon; Jessica O’Donnell, Biomorphic; Fritz Lang (dir.), Thea von Harbou (writer), Metropolis; FW Murnau (dir.), Henrik Galeen (writer), Nosferatu; Robert Wiene (dir.), Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer (writers), The Cabinet of Dr Caligari; Benjamin Christensen (dir. and writer), Häxan; Cooper Tafe, Fragmented Self [ARTEXPRESS 2023].

In a society that idolises flawless youth, my body of work represents the vibrancy and unapologetic characteristics of elderly women, challenging the myth that a woman’s ‘prime’ is tied to smooth skin and conventionally youthful beauty. Focusing on lived-in skin and self-expression, my intention was to celebrate ageing in women as a form of liberation that comes with letting go of societal expectations, where age is not a decline but an elevation into a more colourful, authentic version of the self. Skin is not something which needs to be ‘corrected’ but is an expression of experience, emotion and living.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Maggi Hambling, Cindy Sherman, Vincent van Gogh, Isabella Cotier, Hope Gangloff, Hans Sieverding, Willem Jonkers, Iris Apfel, Bruce Gilden, Colleen Heidemann.

The concept of a ‘surveillance state’ may seem dystopian and irrelevant in the 21st century, yet it is a reality we inhabit due to late-stage capitalism. In my body of work I examine how covert surveillance is integrated into modern society through the internet and, increasingly, AI. My work references propaganda with the intention of highlighting the oppressive nature of surveillance capitalism and confronting audiences with historical parallels of authoritarian monitoring, now repackaged through digital platforms. I encourage audiences to reflect on the systems we participate in, often unknowingly, and the exploitation embedded in our digital interactions.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Shoshanna Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism [book]; Grayson Perry; Amanda Shelsher; Hito Steyerl.

Only when memory and cultural lineage intertwine can the scars of survival from famine and war in Maoist China ripple across generations, forging a love at once unyielding and redemptive. I studied the Chinese idiom ‘Qing Chu Yu Lan’ (‘the colour blue is derived from indigo yet is brighter than indigo’) to honour my grandparents. They were the ‘indigo’ whose sacrifices were the start of our family’s upward mobility. The humble ballpoint pen conveys their modesty. Within the vivid, blue chiaroscuro, I represent their unwavering love as an anchor that grounds me in the ‘vivid blue’ of my family’s development.

My artmaking practice is influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Oscar Ukonu, Ibe Ananaba, Robin Hilthouse.

My body of work is a series of paintings inspired by 17th century Dutch still-life paintings and Sam Leach’s practice of using AI to generate compositions that are then painted in a traditional manner. In the period known as the Dutch Golden Age, paintings featuring the material richness of everyday life were popular. They illustrated the society of the time as being filled with lavish flowers and luxury goods, but the compositions carried deeper symbolic meanings. Life's Impermanence represents items traditionally seen in those works then progresses slowly to items that are more contemporary and familiar to modern day society.

My artmaking practice is influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Sam Leach, Clara Peeters, Maria van Oosterwijck, Willem Kalf.