Artist Statement
Inspired by the complexity of the human psyche, I explore the highs, lows, and quiet moments of existence, creating a tapestry of shared emotions and experiences.
In our pursuit of freedom from daily pressures, we seek many forms of escape — from meditation to intoxicating distractions — even physical distance. This longing to transcend the everyday underpins my work.
Back to the Garden
Back to the Garden is a meditation visualised — a return to the untamed, unguarded beauty of nature. Vivid colours, familiar forms, and wandering lines — born from the pages of my sketchbook — breathe life into each scene.
Foliage transforms into symbols, figures dissolve into light, and realism merges with playful doodles, creating spaces that feel both timeless and free. These paintings offer a gentle escape — a return to simplicity, purity, and a deeper connection with the natural world.
Back to the Garden invites us to rediscover innocence, curiosity, and the wildness of the environment. It is a space to slow down, breathe deeply, and remember the simple joys that await just beyond the noise.
Balmy Hallucinations
Balmy Hallucinations captures adolescent nostalgia, blending fleeting memories with the warmth of lived experience. Set in comforting, sun-drenched locations — where fragrant breezes, vibrant streets, and passing cars evoke freedom and adventure — the series explores the tension between the everyday and our yearning to drift beyond its limits.
Education
2007, Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, National Art School, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
Selected Exhibitions
2025, Finalist, Omnia Art Prize, Toorak, VIC, Australia
2025, Finalist, Wingecarribee Landscape Prize, Bowral Art Gallery, NSW, Australia
2024, FDC Reimagining Sydney Arts and Culture, Forrest Lodge, NSW, Australia
2023, C.S.D. 1, Leichhardt, NSW, Australia
2020, Inner West Bush Fire Relief, Marrickville, NSW, Australia
2018, Small Works, Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
2017, Three Painters, ARO Gallery, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
2017, Finalist, Georges River Art Prize, Hurstville, NSW, Australia
2016, Figures in Play, Sensei, London, United Kingdom
2016, What is the Point, Mall Galleries, London, United Kingdom
2009, Present Tense, China Heights Gallery, Surry Hills, NSW, Australia
2007, Degree Graduation Show, National Art School, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
Collections and Charity
Ride to Give, live auction raising money for Boys to the Bush
FDC Cup Day, live auction raising money for Bowel Cancer Australia
Mural, Chalk Co. Marrickville, NSW, Australia
Hong Kong Aviation Capital, Sydney and Hong Kong
Madeline Riisfeldt features in various national and international private collections