MEDIA / ESSAYS
DR. DANIEL MUDIE CUNNINGHAM
Laissez Faire + the Witzig Archive / Zoe Young
Ever attuned to contradiction, Young brings a dry wit to her work. The camera detox, for instance, was conceived as an experimental protest against convenience; yet the many handwritten notes and snapshots documenting her progress were emailed to me while preparing this essay — a self-aware nod to the impossibility of total abstinence from the lens. The irony underscores what these works so elegantly perform: technologies today are habit-forming by design, which makes renouncing them through digital platforms a stark paradox. (cont)
CHRISTOPHER HEATHCOTE
Review of Laissez Faire + the Witzig Archive .
It’s hard to ease off on formalist praise, for Young is a proficient colourist who knows how to select, then structure and control her palette. The chromatic range in each canvas is deliberately limited, and no hue is lush or intense. (cont)
JUSTIN BALMAIN
The Sentimental Bloke .
Unexpected beginnings
The history of still-life, if you peek behind the curtain, is also the history of erotica. Outwitting the un-initiated through symbolism to reveal subtle, and very unsubtle, depictions of pure bacchanal. (cont)
GOOD WEEKEND. SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Katrina Strickland .
Surfer. Wicker chair. Patio. Today’s cover image by Southern Highlands artist Zoe Young is imbued with the beach-holiday vibe – you can almost feel the sand in the surfers’ hair, and see yourself on that deck with a book and a cup of coffee in hand.
THREDBO RESORT
Zoe Young. Artist in Residence
Growing up on a farm in Thredbo Valley, Zoe spent her youth surrounded by the beauty of the mountains. These years spent in Alpine Australia continue to influence much of her work with the mountains either being the subject of her work or inspiring the raw aesthetic. (cont)
ARTIST PROFILE
Bridget Macleod
Zoe Young paints to capture fleeting moments in time. At the ramchackle barn she has transformed into a studio in the NSW Southern Highlands, Zoe spoke to Artist Profile about her recent projects, upcoming exhibition and the effect that motherhood and the Archibald have had on her practice. (cont)
DESIGN FILES
Lucy Feagins
Despite her recent affection for still life, Zoe is a versatile painter who also loves portraiture and landscape painting. She is a two-time finalist in the Archibald Portraiture Prize, having been selected in 2014 with her portrait of Olympic Snowboarder Torah Bright, and again in 2016 with her portrait of model Sam Harris.
LM JOURNAL
The world of an artist is predominantly solitary, and then suddenly you are flung into the limelight at an exhibition opening. How do you dress for that occasion?
It’s tricky because often the lead up to a show is full of stress, adrenaline and apprehension about putting all your ideas out there and you feel very naked. There is a tendency to want to put something black on and hide all those feelings
FINANCIAL REVIEW MAGAZINE
Artist Zoe Young with her 2024 Archibald Prize entry 'Jill at Bills', which features two things we love - Bill Granger's Bills Cafe in Darlinghurst, and our very own culinary editor Jill Dupleix. "When I embarked on this painting I really wanted to viewer to feel like there were in Bills, waiting for a beautiful Bills meal," says Young. "And it was a quintessential Sydney summer's day and Jill Dupleix was sitting over there and you would be thinking; there she is."
MELBOURNE ART FAIR
CONTRIVED CASUALNESS: HOW ZOE YOUNG’S WORK SPANS THE ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY
Transforming everyday settings and objects into idyllic scenes that hold unique emotional depth, Zoe Young’s work connects individual stories with broader human emotions. Showcasing a solo presentation with Sophie Gannon Gallery(Naarm/Melbourne) at the Fair in next year, Melbourne Art Fair speaks with Zoe about how she creates her still-life compositions, honoring her voice, and what she’s currently working on for the event.