Artist Bio
Kia Ora, My name is Lilly and I am a visual artist from Aotearoa, New Zealand. In 2016 I completed my Bachelors degree in Fine Arts with honours from Massey University, I am fortunate to continue my art practice since finishing university and primarily make work from my big desk (an old dining table) in my bedroom at home, and have access to a pottery studio where I fire and glaze my ceramic pieces.
Being the child of two artist parents, it's been unsurprising to myself and everyone else that my greatest passion is all things visual art. I have always been drawn to fine art and the rich and storied history, art as a lens to view the past and inspire and influence the future. Art to me is communication between generations and storytelling in a single image.
In the past few years since university my practice has developed into a more personal exploration of figurative painting, drawing and sculpting. My current work revolves around the human figure and the face - stemming from my desire to excavate, understand and correct my own self-perception and body image issues.
My work around the human body is distinctly divorced from the face, the body is a whole unit whereas in my portraiture work - the face is a series of elements, these elements when altered minutely end up changing the person entirely. I view the body as a solid unit with undulations in the surface providing depth and detail, from a block comes a figure.
The two choices of subject matter - the face and the body dominate my work, perhaps due to my experience as a young woman growing up in the early 2000’s where the female face and body was a dominant topic of conversation in the media and among my family and friends. To grow up knowing that your appearance will be the most important thing about you to the rest of the world is hard to face - perhaps this is why my work has become what it is, I repaint and resculpt my own idea of beauty.
None of the work I do is based on a specific human subject. All the people and figures are in some way a reflection of myself and the world I see around me. In contrast to the rather serious driving force behind my practice, I like to use bold and saturated colours in my work to force a feeling of happiness and excitement.
My practice is not consistent in medium or subject matter, I make things because I am deeply compelled to. What I make is influenced by my mood, needs, thoughts and desires.