Art Scout: Melbourne Painter Esther Olsson is Inspired by Girl Gangs, Hip Hop and Basketball

Welcome to our new column Art Scout, where we profile Australia's creative up-and-comers.

22-year-old 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.

Olsson’s symmetrical canvases are deceptively mathematical in their composition. 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 colours 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 Olsson’s work, and this sense of humour 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 favourite 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 realise 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.”

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.

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