Australian artist Odessa Mahony -de Vries, is propelled by the materiality of paint and colour, channeling them into an active exploration of process. Odessa works quickly and engages in immediate responses, navigating the interplay of painterly gestures and dynamic compositions to find resolve. She creates boundaries within the canvas, but later dismantles them by extending the paint and blurring lines.
Her artworks are loud and large scale 2D paintings on canvas, luminous digital works, and ceramic sculptures. The sculptures directly derive from her paintings and showcase the malleability of the material, creating spatial dialogues within the artwork. They extend from the clay body, embodying abstraction and the negotiation between maker and material.
Established in 2021, the National Emerging Art Prize was created to provide an annual, highly visible national platform to identify, promote and support the most promising emerging visual and ceramic artists in Australia.