Holly Terry
Australian painter Holly Terry studied politics at university and started painting when her job was burning her out. Two years later, she had her first solo show at Saint Cloche in Sydney. She works on long rolls of canvas and cuts them into separate pieces. Her titles come from slogans and wordplay. Terry's early paintings were meant to be happy and uplifting, but the work grew once she accepted that darkness is as much a part of life as light. She has partnered with ZouZou Rugs to turn her paintings into hand-knotted bamboo-silk rugs.
Q: First of all, tell us a bit about yourself. What led up to your first solo at Saint Cloche in 2022?
A: Prior to the rise of Instagram and social media, I was very artistic and my practice centred around politics and social ideas. The type of work I was making would have lent itself to public art spaces or galleries with more of a political slant, and therefore forging a career from this felt like a difficult mountain to climb. So, I diverted from the arts and went on to study politics at university, not fine arts. It wasn't until I entered the workforce and felt myself burning out that I discovered a painting practice for the first time. My debut solo show at Saint Cloche happened relatively early in my painting career, two years in, and I realise now that this was very much a time that I was still figuring out my visual language.
Q: Your paintings are large and heavily gestural. How physical is the process?
A: The process of painting itself is extremely physical! I often spend large portions of time doing anything other than painting while ideas develop and my mind creates space to paint. When the time feels right, I'll paint, and the act is quick (when I watch video back of myself painting, I have mistaken it for 3x speed) and requires my entire body. I typically paint on large stretches of canvas, around 6-7 metres in length and cut them up into individual pieces. As you can imagine, working on pieces this big requires a lot of movement.
Q: Text has a long history in abstract painting. Where do your words and slogans come into that?
A: Slogans often form the starting point for my work. I am interested in everyday scenes and interactions (particularly social idiosyncrasies and play on words) as a way to lighten the mood. These slogans will form the title, general mood, and more importantly, anchor the work. From there, the slogan often gets drowned out as the work becomes more abstract and layered. Sometimes the thought surrounding the work changes as it evolves too, and this is an important, fluid part of the process.
Q: You describe your art as often playful and every now and then serious. How do you balance the two?
A: I think the general concept of my work allows the two to exist side-by-side naturally. Much like life itself, my work reflects the duality of serious and playful, happy and sad, dark and light, etc. In the past, I used to prioritise making works that felt happy and uplifting. It was when I acknowledged that darkness was as much a part of our lives as light that my work really developed. I think my audience resonates with this, too.
Q: Over the last seven years, the work has grown alongside you. What has changed?
A: Everything has changed! I worked hard to overcome ideas surrounding being recognised for a particular visual style and not swaying from that. Since I let that go, my work has mirrored my own personal growth and is feeling more and more authentic as I get older.
Q: Your paintings are about to become rugs. How did that project come about, and what else is coming up?
A: Yes! I am so excited for this evolution. This project came about after a textile-related residency sadly fell through in 2025. I was absolutely devastated that I wouldn't be guided through the process by the experts. After a few conversations with industry experts in Australia, I formed a relationship with ZouZou Rugs, who I have now partnered with for the production of these incredible hand-knotted, bamboo-silk rugs. Beyond that, I have a residency planned at an epic hotel later in the year, and beyond that, we will see!
