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A Painter Inspired by Girl Gangs, Hip-Hop, and Basketball | Art Scout

We meet the artist Esther Olsson in her Melbourne studio.
Esther Olsson in her studio. All photography by Katherine Gillespie

Art Scout is a regular column out of Australia that profiles creative up-and-comers.

Melbourne-based artist Esther Olsson is a girl on the move. After studying at the Tractor Graphic Design School in 2012, she made the bold decision to put down her laptop and pursue a career as an artist instead. The risk paid off, and Olsson’s days are now spent hanging out in a sunny bedroom studio with her pet rabbit and creating bold works inspired by hip-hop, basketball, and girlhood.

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Olsson’s symmetrical canvases are deceptively mathematical in their compositions. She tells The Creators Project that while swapping the computer screen for the paintbrush has been liberating, her formal training in graphic design still informs her practice. “I follow a system inspired by my background in graphic design, thinking about colors and layout,” she says, adding, “But I’ve totally moved off the computer now—it’s really hard to get back on and use it, actually.”

There’s a youthful cheekiness to the 22-year-old’s work, and this sense of humor comes from the artist’s bright outlook. “All of my paintings are based on stories from my life, but [the meaning is] kind of hidden. I like people not quite knowing the meaning of all the different symbols,” she says, explaining that she’s motivated by music, her friends, and partying.

Olsson listens to a lot of hip-hop in the studio, and you’ll find hidden references to favorite lyrics buried subliminally in her art. “Hip-hop is always really inspiring when I’m holding a brush. I like that the lyrics are always quite visual. Of course, sometimes I’ll end up having a bit of a dance party when I work and then realize I haven’t done anything in half an hour. But in general, hip-hop keeps me going.”

Olsson is a member of Sydney-based women’s art collective The Ladies Network, and has been exhibited in their bi-monthly art shows. “I’m a feminist because I’m a female and I just can’t not be; because it really is harder to be a woman than a man,” she tells us. Visions of women and female friendship pervade her work, and supporting fellow women artists is a priority, saying, “With all the artists I like in Melbourne, if a girl is doing something similar to a guy, I always like the girl’s work better.”

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Olsson recently ran a workshop at the National Gallery of Victoria’s underage Art Party—a project that “involved a giant skateboarding cat covered in glittery pom poms.” The busy young artist will spend the next few months working on a solo show, tentatively titled Hoop. “It’s going to be a solo, self-run warehouse vibe, and the paintings will be based around basketball and girls in hoop earrings.”

You can see more of Esther’s work on her website and follow her on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on The Creators Project Australia.

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