What is your artistic background?

I began painting in Auckland, NZ, where I met my painting tutor, Matthew Browne. He was such an inspiring tutor that he eventually suggested I apply for a Fine Art degree at the Elam School of Art, Auckland University. Although I had a very fulfilling year at Elam, I had to leave NZ and return to the UK in 2014. That same year, I accepted an offer from Goldsmiths, University of London, and spent three challenging but most wonderful years there. After obtaining a First Class Honours BA in Fine Art, I continued studying at the BALTIC + Northumbria University at the Master’s level and also studied at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) as an exchange student.

What is your current practice and the thought behind it?

I primarily paint, but what I learned at both Elam and Goldsmiths is to work beyond a single discipline. I believe in sharing and the power of collective voices. My work often reflects this belief, as I create constellations of various media. This approach has encouraged me to actively participate in and organize group exhibitions from early in my art studies. In addition to being an artist, I have organised and curated several exhibitions, including the “On the Threshold” and “Planetality” series, which question our relationship to others and the environment, the “Encounter” series on climate change and sustainability and ‘Reflection’ after the Covid. I Last summer, I started the Redcar Summer Exhibition to raise awareness of the social issues we currently face.

Can you tell me about your submitted work, ‘Closer to Heaven’?

The painting/cutout is based on a photo from the 1930s when constructing skyscrapers became a strong drive, and the competition to build the world’s tallest building was fierce. I use this image as a symbol of human desire. I replaced the ridiculous-looking hats in the photo with more recent tall buildings, indicating ongoing development and devastation to our environment, using a lone frog to represent nature. The painting is incorporated with a performance by four artists wearing costumes similar to the painting, but with hats made of tree branches or corals. They walk among the crowd, symbolising our hope to reverse the trend and coexist harmoniously with nature.

Closer to Heaven

Mixed Media/Cutout on Board

60cm x 80cm

2024

£500