Discover: Young Talent Melbourne 2024

   
Want to stay ahead of the curve on the next wave of Australian contemporary artists? Discover: Young Talent Melbourne 2024 will highlight the hottest up and coming artists you don’t want to miss. From dazzling high-chroma paintings to eco-conscious creations, these artists are pushing the boundaries of creativity. With backgrounds ranging from studio assistants of renowned painters to art therapists and former accountants turned full-time artists, each brings a unique perspective and passion to their craft.

In an exciting new development to the fair, two of the top performing Young Talent artists from Sydney and Brisbane, each with a connection to Melbourne, will also be showcased in this edition’s platform. Keep reading to uncover more about these rising young stars making waves in the art world.  

Now is your chance to see and be inspired by the creativity of tomorrow’s leading artists today. So why not step into a world of artistic inspiration and discover your next favorite piece at the Royal Exhibition Building this 29 August – 1 September?

Olivia Walmsley

Olivia, a gifted artist and dedicated art therapist, specialises in working with children and individuals with disabilities, using creative expression to foster connection, independence, and emotional regulation. Her artwork, deeply inspired by memories and nostalgia, weaves together patterns, colours, and textures to evoke a visceral sense of time and place. We highly encourage art collectors to experience Olivia’s pieces in person to feel the memories and atmospheres captured within each artwork. 

Lily-Rose Burgess  

Meet 23-year-old Lily-Rose Burgess, a vibrant and unstoppable force in the art world. Born with cystic fibrosis, Lily-Rose’s drive to make art is powered by her belief that health and the ability to create should never be taken for granted. Despite being dissuaded from pursuing art when she was younger, she escaped the drudgery of her old career at an accounting firm by building a thriving business, selling her nostalgic, high-chroma oil paintings to a global audience of over a thousand collectors. With an impressive social media following—245,000 on Instagram and 30,000 on TikTok—Lily-Rose is more than just an artist; she’s a sensation. Filled with colour, creativity and spirit, Lily-Rose Burgess is a rising star you definitely want to add to your collection.  

Sam Harrison

A star of Discover: Young Talent Brisbane, Sam Harrison, a graduate from VCA, will be travelling interstate to exhibit at our dynamic Melbourne platform. With cultural connections to Kamilaroi and Wiradjuri people of Central NSW, Sam has worked in a number of creative capacities, as an exhibiting artist, curator, artist assistant and arts teacher for young adults with autism. With the belief that an artist’s role is to research and understand the morals, motives and circumstances that inform identity, Sam’s practice explores the hypocrisies and idiosyncrasies of local, national and global histories to find stories that are worth telling. For over three years, he has worked as one of Richard Bell’s painting assistants.  
 
Sam’s newest body of work will explore the histories and landscapes of Victoria. We encourage the discerning collector to be an early adopter of his next series.

Kenzopaints

Kenzopaints, an emerging self-taught artist on Wurundjeri Land, creates vibrant artworks including paintings, murals, ceramics, and textiles. His pieces, often featuring abstract faces, burst with color and bold lines, reflecting his life as a queer Sri Lankan individual. Alongside his art, Kenzopaints co-produced a children’s book with his mother in 2023, where he served as the sole illustrator and designer, exploring digital illustration with a personal touch. His work celebrates joy and diversity, aiming to connect deeply with viewers through contemporary themes and personal narratives. Discover the vibrant world of Kenzopaints at our upcoming fair and bring home a piece that resonates with you.

Sibylla ‘Billie’ Robertson

After excelling at our recent fair in Sydney, Sibylla ‘Billie’ Robertson has relocated to Melbourne to begin an exciting ner chapter in her art career. Explore Billie’s ceramic expertise with the intricate art of in-glaze reduction lustre—a technique that traces its origins back to Mesopotamia. This fascinating method involves skillfully manipulating corrosive glazes at low temperatures to reveal a metallic iridescence within the glass matrix.   

Despite the complexity of this technique, Billie is committed to advancing this ancient craft. Recently, they teamed up with artist Leila Khazma on a groundbreaking kiln project. Billie’s dedication and innovation have earned them numerous awards and accolades, including being a finalist in the prestigious National Emerging Art Prize of 2022.  A collector looking for their next 3D piece will revel in the artworks exhibited by Billie in the Discover: Young Talent platform. 

Charli English

Winner for the 2023 Art for All exhibition, Charli English is the next talented art star in the Discover: Young Talent Platform. Driven by a passion for environmentalism, Charli’s journey took a transformative turn in 2021 after inheriting oil paints from a late relative. Concerned about the environmental impact of traditional art practices, Charli embraced second-hand materials to create stunning pieces. This eco-conscious approach not only reduces waste but also adds a unique depth and story to each artwork, echoing their profound connection to the natural world, particularly the ocean. Experience Charli’s art in person and discover the beauty of ethical creativity firsthand.

This line-up of young artists is a must-see, so don’t forget to purchase your tickets! We hope to see you 29 August – 1 September at the Royal Exhibition Building.