Artist Natalya Hughes Finds a Subversive Beauty in Patterns
Eschewing minimalism, artist Natalya Hughes finds a subversive beauty in patterns.
A symphony of chaos, Natalya Hughes’s work depicts explosions of colour and fragmented patterns that collide with and conceal the sometimes delicate, sometimes outsized features of female figures. “Decoration is always deemed to be too much,” says the Brisbane (Meanjin)-based artist and academic, comparing it to minimalist aesthetics that society designates “smart” and “tasteful”. For her, decoration isn’t a frivolous extra layer, it’s a way of telling stories, of exploring how ornamentation can captivate and draw attention or conceal identity.
The philosophy was apparent in her 2024 National Gallery of Victoria show, which was inspired by a book the artist’s grandmother gave her as a child. “I read it from cover to cover and it turned out to be absolutely not a children’s book,” she says, laughing. Instead, it was about two young women exploring romantic love and had been given to her by mistake. Hughes says this early experience taught her that while something might look a certain way, unexpected and subversive elements can be hidden beneath the surface. That theme is clear in Ermyntrude by the Window (2023; above), where a frilly swirl of red and cream polka dots curls sinuously against a window, like a young girl peering eagerly out at the world. Last year, a collaboration with beauty retailer MECCA put this bold aesthetic on the brand’s limited-edition packaging.
Hughes’s exploration of girlhood often intertwines with her personal life. In her home studio, her daughter, Violet, regularly visits and asks “tough questions” about the painted figures. “Who are they? Why are they there? Is it okay to paint them?” says Hughes. “Questions that history hasn’t been great at asking.”
Exhibited at: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
Studied: Bachelor of Visual Arts, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane (2001); PhD in Art Theory, College of Fine Arts UNSW, Sydney (2009)
Awards: Michela and Adrian Fini Fellowship by the Sheila Foundation, Australia (2022)
