Born in New Zealand and raised in Melbourne, artist Bella McGoldrick kicked off her career in New York City, when she started independently selling her astonishingly hyper-real, still-life drawings online.

But in 2022, she was deported and slapped with a lifetime ban due to issues with her visa.

With nowhere to go, Bella and her now-husband spent the next two years living out of a suitcase, making incredibly detailed artworks on paper capturing food, objects, and momentos from countries like Mexico, Japan, Italy, and France.

She’s since amassed more than 58,000 followers on Instagram and frequently sells out her limited-edition print drops in mere minutes.

Having recently laid down some roots in Byron, Bella has chronicled this (seemingly) unfortunate series of events in a new coffee-table book aptly titled, ‘Visa Issues’, and is holding a launch this Saturday November 9.

The Melbourne event will also double as her first ever solo exhibition of her upcoming artwork series, ‘Let Me Eat Cake’ — a collection of six dessert-themed drawings on paper that look good enough to eat.

‘A combination of not living in any place long enough, selling most of my work to a country I can’t enter, being short-sighted by shipping one original work before I finish the next and working without a gallery means this is my first solo show,’ Bella says.

It’s a rare chance to get up close and personal with the original photorealistic works before Bella releases the limited-edition prints online next Tuesday November 12.

Plus, tattoo artist Samy Baby will be offering free tattoos on the day from a flash sheet of Bella’s drawings.

See ‘Let Me Eat Cake’ and buy ‘Visa Issues’ by Bella McGoldrick this Saturday November 9 at a-n studio.

a-n studio
415 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
11am-5pm