Melbourne (Naarm)
she/her
Ella Rizzi’s work is an intimate recollection and rediscovery of herself, her past, and her heritage. Through oil painting and textiles, she renders blurred and fragmented imagery to replicate the erosion of memory (and hence, identity) across generations, suggesting an incomplete and shifting understanding of histories. Using reference imagery from landmarks in her personal family history, significantly in Northern Italy, my work reflects the impossibility of piecing together an already-broken past. Working with textiles becomes a form of reclamation of craft and of the often-unseen labour of women, grounded in and inspired by the histories and practices of the women in her family.
Living and working in Melbourne Australia, Ella Rizzi has undertaken a Diploma in Visual Arts (RMIT) and a Bachelor in Fine Arts (Victorian College of the Arts). Recent solo exhibitions include Loom, Trocadero Projects, Footscray; Imitami (Valentina), Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy; and To all who lived before me, Green Floor Gallery, Fitzroy. She has also exhibited in group exhibitions at BlackCat Gallery, Joseph Beuys Cafe, VCA, Motor Works Gallery and Trocadero Projects. Ella participated in an art festival at The Gasometer Hotel and an artist workshop at the MPavillion, Melbourne. She has received the Stuart Black Memorial Scholarship and the West End Projects Award for excellence in her studies and graduation work at the Victorian College of the Arts.
Link to CV
Link to catalogue