Ya, Well, No, Fine!, 2026

Ya, Well, No, Fine is a little piece of South African humour. It is one of those wonderfully contradictory expressions that somehow manages to say yes, no, acceptance, resignation and “let’s just get on with it” all at once. I love the humour and resilience held within everyday South African language, and the way a few simple words can evoke an entire culture and a very particular way of seeing life. Immigrating to Australia and living here for 2 decades has given me a second sense of home, while the African culture I grew up in remains part of me. My work often sits somewhere between these worlds – not trying to recreate the place I came from, but allowing its colour, energy, humour and memories to surface in unexpected ways. This painting is about embracing contradiction and finding joy in the imperfect, messy and sometimes completely inexplicable experience of being human.

Emma Levitt is an Australian contemporary artist whose bold, expressive paintings (shaped by a life across South Africa, the UK, and Australia) explore colour, movement, and joyful mark-making. In 2026 she is deepening her practice through a mentorship with internationally recognised artist Llewellyn Skye, working from Skye’s studio to expand her conceptual and material range.

Drawing on florals, the natural world, and the ongoing conversation between art and design, Emma builds compositions through instinct and accumulation creating work that is layered, gestural, alive. Her background in interior and event styling, and surface and textile design, informs the way she paints. Emma’s paintings combine a fearless approach to colour with rich pattern and expressive form, resulting in works that feel both joyful and purposeful.

Emma is self-taught, and her practice reflects it, in the best sense. She spent several years developing her work through a dedicated mentorship with respected Sydney artist Deni Rayneau, and in 2026 continues that evolution with Llewellyn Skye.