‘A world without art would be a soulless one’: Meet VCA graduating artist Grace Murphy

Grace Murphy is days away from exhibiting new work at the 2023 VCA Art Grad Show. Her latest paintings, inspired by the complex relationships between humans and animals, are brough to life through vividly rendered depictions of animals in unconventional settings. Grace spoke with us as she was putting the finishing touches on her Grad Show presentation. This is what she had to share:

My paintings in the Grad Show offer a unique perspective on human and animal life through ornamental depictions of out-of-place animals. The subjects exist in an artificially constructed moment, symbolising the numerous complexities in human and animal relationships – domestication, personification, and the value of animals.

The paintings incorporate slight abnormalities in form and alterations. These deviations add a level of complexity and intrigue to the images. I’ve created these distortions to encourage viewers to engage with the artwork more actively, as they consider the relationship between art, reality, and personal experience.

Having grown up surrounded by animals and working in the pet industry, I became fascinated by the nature of human and animal relationships, particularly the vitality and complexity of these relationships. For this project, I began by talking to numerous pet owners and immersed myself in history books documenting animal ornamentation. The way I observe life and interact with the world informs my practice; everything I do shapes what I make.

After I graduate, I plan to continue making and selling art and exhibiting in galleries. I would love to display in a national gallery, publish a book of my paintings, and exhibit internationally.

I can’t imagine a world without art. Art has been essential to society for the entirety of human existence – serving many purposes from documentation to the ornamental.

Art is critical to our well-being and allows for connection. So much of what we consume as a society must have a purpose or functionality. Art is so much more than that. It enables us to express emotion and experience in ways most things don’t allow us to.

In the end, a world without art would be a soulless one of white walls and grey buildings.

You can view Grace's work at the 2023 VCA Art Grad Show on display from 23–30 November at the University of Melbourne Southbank campus. Open between 11am–5pm daily. Plan your visit.

Discover the Bachelor of Fine Art (Visual Art) at the University of Melbourne