This Masters project, through small-scale graphite drawings, explores the intersection of public and private personas through the elevation of mundane moments. By carefully rendering scenes from everyday life based on snapshot photography, I highlight the vulnerability and sincerity that emerge in the quiet, unguarded pauses between actions and conversations. This process reveals the subtle ways in which our private selves seep into public spaces, celebrating the emotional depth and introspection found in ordinary human experiences, as well as a personal homage for the figures depicted in the works.
Tessa Christie (b. 1998) is an Australian visual artist whose work is deeply influenced by her environment, cinema, and the power of narrative. She graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in 2016 and earned her Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) at RMIT, Melbourne. Currently, Tessa is pursuing her Master of Art (Fine Art) at RMIT, Melbourne. Her artistic practice navigates themes of trauma, intimacy, and adoration through graphite drawings, photography, and oil painting.
Tessa Christie’s work has been showcased in various exhibitions in Melbourne. In 2023, she founded the art collective No Dice and organised their inaugural event titled Loose Teeth at Bad Decisions, Fitzroy, in early 2024. Other notable exhibitions include MishMash (2024), Talking with Simplicity (2019), Still Resolving (2018), and Resolving (2018). In 2020, Tessa was selected for a two-year volunteer position on the Nillumbik Arts and Cultural Advisory Committee. In this role, she assisted in the assessment of grant applications, contributing to the progress of cultural diversity within the community, and advised the Council on the artistic and cultural needs of the wider community. She also served as an independent assessor for Arts and Cultural Development open applications, including judging arts competitions held within the council.
Tessa’s artistic process is a testament to her profound connection with her subjects, aiming to immortalise the subtle nuances and complexities of their existence. She achieves feelings of vulnerability and sensitivity through intricate details, materials, and scale, often working on a small scale (smaller than A5), which invites viewers to lean in and look closely. Using cotton paper with imperfect deckle edges, Tessa pays homage to the imperfections and complexities of life. Her practice is a tool for looking—revealing what unfolds through the process of making.
Despite capturing realism, Tessa’s work often carries an undercurrent of melancholy. Within the mundane contours of portraiture, whether depicting figures or intimate spaces like a bedroom, she delves into a deeper exploration of the human condition. Each composition is a manifestation of the splendour and fragility of the human experience, as felt through the artist herself.
instagram.com/tessachristie.studio