Artist’s Statement

The juxtaposition of beauty and destruction is central to my work. In this body of work, I am exploring the lasting consequences of colonisation on Australian Botany, seamlessly intertwining the native and invasive to convey the overwhelming and insidious nature of introduced flora. When viewing this body of work, the audience is encouraged to consider the impact of introduced species on their ecosystem and how the allure and seduction of the invasives captivates us allowing us to overlook their devastating effects. Symmetry and repetition are formal qualities I use in my work influenced by the Decorative Arts and Arts and Crafts Movements. Both movements were popularised during a period of colonisation in which many of these plants were introduced. The invasive agapanthus and ivy are recurring motifs in my work. Their refined and overly stylised illustration represents the sense of control imposed on Indigenous land by European settlers, introducing flora and fauna with no regard for their impact. My work is displayed to have wallpaper panels surrounding a central piece featuring endemic flora. The central piece’s enormous scale and vibrant colours have a grand and celebratory feel, rhapsodising the beauty of the native undisturbed by the formal constraints of the invasive. As the untamed beauty of Australia’s native flora contrasts with the eurocentric aesthetics of the wallpaper medium we are reminded of the lasting effects of European settlement on stolen land.

Stella was a Year 12 Art Studio Practice student at The Friends’ School in 2022 and the co-recipient of The Friends’ School’s 2022 Visual Arts Prize. Stella’s work was also chosen to be part of Tasmania’s ArtRage 2022 touring exhibition. A selection from Stella’s exhibition appears here. Scroll further for enlargements of images and details of artworks.