Is there a guiding principle or mantra that informs your creative process and the themes you explore in your work?
I enjoy the mental process of distilling ideas to essential elements, resulting in very works with a very singular aesthetic. If I have a mantra, it is “have strong will, really strong will”.
What does the concept of women's liberation mean to you in 2025, particularly as an artist? How do you feel your work contributes to or reflects this idea?
My work re-imagines myths, historical art imagery and fables, placing female stories at the centre. I have always assumed liberation as a female artist and never really questioned this, I’m very grateful to be living in a place and time where this is possible. My solidarity and empathy is with all female artists, across the world, I recognise in many places the freedom and path to becoming a female artist is very challenging and often impossible.
Looking back over the past decade, what are the moments in your career you’re most proud of? Conversely, what have been the most challenging obstacles you’ve faced as a female artist?
I’m most proud of a survey show at the National Gallery of Victoria in 2019-2020. I think what is most challenging is when an artist reaches a point in the career termed ‘mid-career’. In Australia, on average, artists only earn around $23,000 per year. It’s impossible to sustain an art career over the long term on this income, especially if you live in Sydney. Mustering the energy, strong will and finances to continue working as an artist over the long term is the most challenging obstacle.
What role does beauty play in your art and how does it influence the way you approach your life and creative expression? Why do you believe beauty is such an integral theme in your work?
Harmony, singularity, ambiguity and neutral space play a role in my work, and I associate these with beauty. Distilling and reducing a work to the essential elements needed to communicate a feeling or state also feels connected to beauty.
How do you see women’s roles in the art world evolving, and in what ways do you feel your work contributes to shifting perceptions of women in contemporary art?
We now see greater visibility, respect, attention placed on female artists (past & present) globally. For all stuck paradigms to shift, the pendulum needs to swing strongly in the opposite direction sometimes before finding its balance.
Do you feel your work speaks to the tension between tradition and modernity, especially regarding the representation of women in media and art? How do you navigate this in your imagery? How do themes of empowerment and vulnerability coexist in your work, and how do you aim to balance these elements when depicting women in your photographs?
The female subjects in my works are often depicted with eyes closed, head turned away or obscured; they are portraits of psyche or a spiritual state, more so than literal portraits. The women exist in a non-linear space beyond time and are freed of a narrative and the obligation to represent anything aimed at anyone.
How do you explore the interplay of nature, beauty, animals, and the human form in your art? What deeper messages are you aiming to communicate through this juxtaposition?
I often draw from mythology, fables, and historical art imagery to re-frame the contemporary female experience. Animals and females often appear together to represent aspects of psyche and identity, alluding to the complexity of female identity and the sentience of animals. The porous boundaries between human and animal states, and the affinity of females and animals, are central to my work.
Artists throughout history have turned to the animal to help think through what it means to be human. As human beings we have an animal history, [in that] we share a common ape ancestor with chimpanzees; I’m fascinated by the boundaries that separate animal from human.
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ABOUT
Petrina Hicks is an Australian artist who creates large-scale photographs drawing from mythology, fairy tales, and historical art imagery to re-frame the contemporary female experience.
Animals and females often appear together to represent aspects of psyche and identity, alluding to the complexity of female identity and the sentience of animals.
The porous boundaries between human and animal states and the affinity of females and animals are central to her work.
