Stickymonger

Stickymonger creates manga-esque portraits with subtle elements of surrealism. Young contemplative women pose in familiar settings – eating, smoking and exploring. In monochrome and pastel colour palettes, hazy textures are rendered in multiple layers of spray paint and acrylic. The artist also makes fibreglass sculptures, murals and large-scale vinyl installations. A range of influences inform her practice. In particular 19th century modernist Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico and Japanese anime from the late 1970s and 80s such as Galaxy Express 999 and Toward Terra. But above all, Stickmonger’s main inspiration is life itself – “I just want to capture these never-ending moments and feelings that inspire me.”

The artist sees each work as a projection from her own “internal cinema.” While the paintings are not directly self-portraits, they embody personal psychological experiences. In earlier works figures often appear with holes through their heads to represent the fact that – as Stickmonger puts it – “I have no idea what people think.” In later paintings the compositions largely focus on facial expressions, presenting anxiety and loneliness as romantic and comforting. Together, these metaphors and juxtapositions create a form of escapism on canvas – a cinematic tableaux of the artist's life and imagination.