Mae Hartrick
Originally I’m from Cammeraygal country (Manly, Sydney). Born into a design family, my childhood was very creative. I always created worlds in play, fascinated with fantasy and imagination. Most of my teenage years were spent creating fashion editorial-inspired photo shoots, photographing and styling friends and making look-books for my blog. Inspired by legends like Grace Coddington, Tim Walker and Cindy Sherman, I fell in love with the idea of not capturing an image but creating one. I moved to Naarm (Melbourne) for university study in 2018, drawn not only to the melting pot of creative industries, artistic opportunities and vibrant nightlife but the celebration of style and identity. Having come to terms with my own sexuality I craved community and queer family in my new city.
I unintentionally enrolled in the printmaking studio when embarking on this degree, but fell in love hard and fast. The process had a structure I needed, but the element of play and the unknown enchanted me. My background of photography and design could easily be translated. My practice has evolved predominantly by exploring concepts of identity, surrealism, storytelling and the occult. Relying heavily on intuition, my process is largely research-based, employing printmaking techniques and photography. As my practice has deepened, I have located a niche; examining the intersection of queerness and the occult. Combining my queer identity with my passion for studying the occult and mild witchcraft practices I have begun an historical association through art.
The effects of COVID-19, the enforced lockdown in particular, allowed me to study my passions of astrology and tarot further during the long period of solace and isolation. These practices involve deep introspection and reassessments of connections with people and nature. Due to the restrictions, my lens turned towards myself, experimenting with self-portraiture and digital collage that mock sorely missed analogue processes.
Exploring But Never Leaving, 2020
Altered book, cartridge
220mm x 220mm
Together in Isolation, 2020
Carousel artist book, cartridge
380mm x 70mm x 60mm