Toughen up Painting

Kellie Orr, 30, is based in Perth, Australia. Orr’s highly realistic oil paintings use nuanced symbolism to reflect contemporary societal expectations, consumerism, and popular culture. Orr’s compositions, although playfully nodding to the tradition of still life painting, are decidedly contemporary. Her paintings reference prevailing contemporary Western values with particular emphasis on the importance of presenting a perfected identity to the world, whether in person or on social media. Flowers, makeup, mirrors, and balloons with reflective surfaces allude to these phantom personas and constructed façades. By bringing together the language of historical painting with modern elements, Orr asks us to consider our place within the complexities of our current cultural landscape.