Hannah Thomas

Artist Statement

Reflecting my fascination with the natural world in all its horror and wonder, my work seeks to unnerve and unsettle, referencing the fragility of flesh, suggested by sutures and stitching and membranous strands, the haze of decay. I hope these paintings communicate a sense of the absurd and macabre in nature and the attendant liberation and productivity amidst that absurdity, relentlessly busy often below our line of sight.

My latest works, a series called ‘Where the Blood runs Wild’ was inspired, alongside my usual sources of inspiration, by the strangeness of Australian cinema - in particular Picnic at Hanging Rock - which often highlights humanity's discomfort and vulnerability amidst wild nature, portraying it to be if not actively menacing, then certainly indifferent.

‘This series of paintings continues my use of motifs and biomorphic forms within fractured and chaotic landscapes to create fecund and predatory worlds.

These paintings are intended to be overwhelming in their activity, but also beautiful, strange abstracted worlds that reference both the horror and wonder of nature and human nature, with acknowledgement of the constant confrontation with our own mortality and dissassembling.’

Rejecting self-imposed restrictions in terms of style, I am always seeking to step outside of my comfort zone, and to keep the work shifting, evolving and spiralling into new areas, driven by a kind of existential urgency. This is what keeps my relationship to the work fresh and vital. The fundamental themes and emotional tone remaining constant and anchoring my practice.