Michelle Hamer

This week's episode see's Leo in conversation with contemporary artist Michelle Hamer
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Michelle is an Australian visual artist with over 24 solo shows to date and work in 5 permanent national collections.
'We all know the billboards, graffiti and instructional signage in our neighbourhoods but have you ever really stopped to think about what its all telling you about society? Michelle Hamer’s hand-stitched and drawn works force us to confront this language of our fears, beliefs & aspirations.
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Michelle’s work literally connects to a unique moment in time yet as the world changes the works take on new meaning and speak to us in new ways. The messages and scenes captured are pointed and personal. They are the moment, sign, scratch of graffiti that hits us directly - irreverently encapsulating life and memorialising an everyday instance while allowing us the time and space to be present, reflect and then laugh at what life presents us.'
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In our chat we covered her route to creating hand stitched works of art, starting from her earliest experiences with her mother through to, situations that have led to her creating the work she does, whether it be world leaders tweeting  during a pandemic or abuse shouted on the streets. We discuss the realities of being an exhibiting visual artist during a pandemic, and her experience having works bought for national collections along with much more.
 Michelle's journey to where she is now is a path hard fought, and something that really resonates is her desire to not let setbacks and difficulties stop her.
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A huge thanks to Michelle for coming on the podcast.
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You can find Michelle on Instagram at
@michelle_hamer
or her website

Find all images discussed @Curatingconversation
and The Rafiki Gallery @the_rafiki_gallery