Art and Artist Statement
by Ashley Cullen
I am interested in exploring ideas of hypersensitivity, mania and compulsion as a means to confront negative connotations surrounding authentic displays of emotion and vulnerability. These two paintings engage with raw emotional states usually attributed to women to expose the risks (and pleasures) of being vulnerable and abandoning facades of composure and control.
About the artist:
I am a third-year undergraduate student studying Painting and Literature at the ANU. I love to paint people and faces and am particularly interested in themes of fragility and the feminine subject. My practice is largely informed by artists who explore the human experience. Lucian Freud, Jenny Saville, and Edward Hopper are my favourites.
