Gatya Kelly

Lush is an ode to beauty—to ripeness and shadow, to forms revealed and secrets softly kept.
A shaft of light illuminates the jewel-like seed of a pomegranate. Deep, velvety darkness cradles the plumpness of a fig. The delicate curve of a wilting bloom emerges from a mysterious void. Let your gaze linger on the luminous edge of a shadow, sensing the fullness held within.
For me, beauty isn't superficial; it's a deep quality found in the inherent character of things. My painting process is one of mindful observation, allowing each object's presence to emerge through layered colour and deliberate brushwork. A bruised piece of fruit might reveal poignant vulnerability, while the fleeting luminescence of a flower embodies life's ephemeral nature. These compositions are more than aesthetic arrangements; they are visual meditations on impermanence, memory, and the quiet poetry that resides in the tangible world around us.
This exhibition is about beauty that is deeply felt—the heart recognising richness in the simple, and finding connection in the moment. In this dance of light and shade, Lush offers a quiet reminder of the sensory abundance surrounding us. It's an invitation to rediscover that profound beauty and the contemplative power held within the simple act of seeing.

Gatya Kelly
Byron Bay 2025



Gatya Kelly
Born Sydney
Lives and works in Mullumbimby, Byron Bay, Australia
Selected exhibitions
2025 Solo exhibition Lush – Grainger Gallery Canberra
2024 Winter Feast – Grainger Gallery Canberra
2024 Solo exhibition Radiant – Grainger Gallery Canberra
2023 Solo exhibition Bloom – Frances Keevil Sydney
2022 Reflection – Frances Keevil Sydney
2022 Finalist BAM Art Prize – Northern Rivers Community Gallery Ballina
2022 Poison Garden – Antler Gallery Portland Oregon USA
2022 Interconnected – Beautiful Bizarre Magazine NERAM Armidale
2019 Solo exhibition Luminous – Frances Keevil Gallery Sydney
2019 Ensemble – Tweed Regional Gallery Downtown Murwillumbah
2018 Solo exhibition Arcadia – Frances Keevil Gallery Sydney
2018 Triptych three woman show – Frances Keevil Gallery Sydney
2017 Out with the Old – M-Arts Precinct Gallery Murwillumbah
2017 Solo exhibition Alchemy – Jan Manton Art Brisbane
2016 30×30 – Art Piece Gallery Mullumbimby
2016 Solo exhibition Luscious – Tweed Regional Gallery Murwillumbah
2015 Finalist EMSLA Prize – Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery
2015 The Garden Show – Art Piece Gallery Mullumbimby
2013 Table Manners – Northern Rivers Community Gallery Ballina
2013 Border Art Prize – Gold Coast City Gallery
2013 Finalist Northern Rivers Portrait Prize – Lismore Regional Gallery
2013 Byron Arts Classic – Byron Bay
2012 Border Art Prize – Tweed Regional Gallery Murwillumbah
2012 Winner Art Expo – Ocean Shores
2012 Table Manners – Northern Rivers Community Gallery Ballina
2011 Eat, Paint, Love – Still at the Centre Gallery Byron Bay
2010 Affordable Arts Fair – Bristol UK
2010 Chelsea Arts Fair – London UK
2009 Summer show Brownston Gallery – Modbury UK
Residencies
2021 Arillas, Corfu Greece
2020 Dartington, Totnes Devon UK
2016 Hill End Artist in Residence Bathurst Regional Gallery NSW Australia
2015 Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Tweed Regional Gallery NSW Australia
2009 Poci, Castellina-in-Chianti Tuscany Italy
2008 Arillas, Corfu Greece
2007 St Girons, Ariege France