Art

Finding Shelter With Ellie Hannon

As Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz famously proclaimed, ‘there is no place like home.’ But what if that home is temporary, or being over taken by nature? What does shelter look like in this context?

Ellie Hannon explores this ideas in her upcoming exhibition Shelter at Marfa Gallery, opening 24th July in Abbotsford, Melbourne. We chat with the artist about this vibrant body of work, and how community connections inform her work.

Written
by
Miriam McGarry

Ellie Hannon in her Newcastle studio. Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

Path to the Moon, Ellie Hannon.
Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

The Hideout, Ellie Hannon.
Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

Forests Embrace, Ellie Hannon.
Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

Secret Shanty, Ellie Hannon.
Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

An Archway of Embraces, Ellie Hannon.
Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

Ellie shares her studio with five other artists. Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

The Red River, Ellie Hannon.
Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

Leaf Gathering, Ellie Hannon.
Photo – Bonnie-Grace Dwyer.

Writer
Miriam McGarry
25th of July 2019

Inter-disciplinary artist Ellie Hannon grew up running about outside, playing at the beach and going camping. She explains ‘I loved making and building things out of the nature around me.’ While studying Fine Art at Newcastle University, Ellie realised that she was more interested in community than technique and art history, and spent five years after graduating travelling and working on art projects throughout Australia and South East Asia.

Now back in Newcastle, Ellie has set up a studio, and alongside painting, has started her own line of ceramics, whilst also engaging in community art programs. Her arts practice expands far beyond the physical making of art, to a way of working with others, and living by your values. The artist describes ‘it wasn’t until working with a whole group of creatives in Indonesia for a few years that I realized that being an artist is much more than just being creative, it’s about documenting and creating narratives that respond to culture and change, and I wanted to be a part of that.’

Ellie’s latest body of work Shelter emerged in response to completing a residency in Queenstown, on the west coast on Tasmania. The 25 paintings and installation artworks depict the experience of living in a town where the built environment is being ‘slowly overtaken by the wild.’ She explains the layered painted works explore ‘sheet cubbies, shanty houses, grass huts, camping tents and temples of ferns’ that offer temporary protection and make-shift shelters.

Interestingly, Ellie’s own studio in Newcastle is similarly overrun by local flora and fauna. A shed shared by 5 other artists, Elle explains the workspace is ‘so old… it’s a house for the local lizards and birds and the over-hanging vines creep into the studio.’

Ellie’s vibrant, intricately patterned works in Shelter capture a fluid, ever-evolving idea of ‘home’, reflecting her own ideas about art and community. She explains ‘my art practice begins in my garden out the front of my house, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.’

Shelter by Ellie Hannon
Until 30th July
Marfa Gallery
1/288 Johnston Street
Abbotsford
VICTORIA
3067

Similar Stories

Recent Art