ABOUT
“I move past the perimeters of physical reality, into the energy that takes hold as emotion in our being from moment to moment - reaching beyond language, form or culture.”
-Justine Reilly
The conflicted, unheard, unseen woman is the subject of Justine Reilly’s drawings.
The artist sees herself as both subject and critic, and her fused images explore the deconstruction of traditional female archetypes by portraying the societal discord, private pressure and emotional conflict modern western life demands.
Nudes and graphic elements of energetic manifestation are united in her drawings, creating multidimensional scenes taking place outside time and space.
This inner world of cellular memory collides with the outer world of form, creating an environment of discord that threatens to overwhelm.
Her work is as arresting as it is beautiful, challenging stereotypical female roles and defying the “norm” of beauty by casting light upon the inner woman in all her damaged, defiant and radiant glory.
Working with acrylics, graphite, charcoal, ink, pens, water pastels, poster markers - alongside embellishments such as metallic leaf and tape - gives her work a strong physical presence.
That presence is enhanced by her ability to look beyond the physical into the metaphysical, and - combined with her ability to manipulate softness and scale - this creates a sense of lyrical unease; a ‘pretty’ threat.
The resulting works transform standard notions of “drawing” in a uniquely expressive way, giving Justine her own unique and unmistakeable signature.
The artist lives and works in Byron Bay, Australia.