Emma Richardson

Driven by an interest in psychology and sexuality Richardson examines relationships between the public and the private self, the conscious and subconscious mind and how these influence our basic human drives and behaviours.

Intrigued by notions of the sublime, complexities of female desire and the grotesque body, Richardson draws inspiration from historical and contemporary painting, studies in human behaviour along with personal experiences to investigate how inner emotions and turmoils can be captured and portrayed visually in colour and form.

Working at large scale with oil paint on canvas Richardson plays between the slippages of abstraction and figuration, layering, censoring and revealing imagery to create visceral compositions writhing with suggestion, tension and mood. The compositions invite the viewer to personally interpret the works and their portrayal of fluid human psyches.