Natalya Hughes' creative journey began with a book – an unassuming artefact of pastel pinks and blues, gifted by a Grandmother who perhaps never realised the labyrinthine world she’d offered up. It was an awakening cloaked in glamour and subversion, a foundation of whimsy born from the world of Russian-born French artist and designer Erté that would weave itself into the fabric of Hughes' practice.
Now, with the opening of her latest solo exhibition 'An Entertainment' – held at Sullivan & Strumpf's Melbourne gallery from 30 October until 29 November 2024 – the Brisbane-based artist draws upon that formative and illicit encounter with Erté’s world; his lavish costumes and decadent designs that dance on the edge of innocence and intrigue. Here, every bow, every ruffle, every extravagant silhouette becomes a layered homage.
Ahead of the exhibition's opening last night in Collingwood, Hughes spoke to RUSSH about the legacy of Erté, the intimate relationship between body and garment, and the music that fills her studio as she brings these vivid visions to life.
You mention in your exhibition text that ‘An Entertainment’ is a response to the work of Erté, whose practice you became acquainted with as a child. I would love to know more about your initial response to his works. What drew you in? Why do you think it still resonates with you now, all these years later?
When I was very young (I think probably around 7 or 8) I was given a book called Ermyntrude and Esmeralda by my Grandmother. This was after my Grandfather died. The book was apparently one of his. Because it had a pastel pink and blue palette, a decorative aesthetic, and a title featuring two girls, she mistook it for a children’s book. It really wasn’t. It turned out to be a pretty risqué, queer romp by Bloomsbury writer Lytton Strachey. The narrative follows two Edwardian-era girls who are looking to explore the mysteries of sex, love and making babies. And as it happens, it was illustrated by the artist Erté. I was fascinated by the drawings and the story, but I also had a sense that I shouldn’t tell anyone what it was. So, I kept it in my room, read it over and over and poured over the illustrations.
It’s an understatement to say that it was foundational. Almost all the work I made after that was influenced by that book’s aesthetic and content, and its hold on me. Even the way the book’s decorative look meant its subversive content was overlooked was a key idea for my practice. In my exhibition at the NGV (for the 2024 NGV x MECCA Holiday Artist commission) I have made work that’s a direct response to the Ermyntrude and Esmeralda story and its images. In ‘An Entertainment’ I’ve looked to Erté’s contribution more broadly in the form of his many costume, fashion and stage designs.
What is the starting point of an artwork for you? Is it something tangible, like a colour or an image? Or ephemeral, like a feeling or concept?
Most of the time I am responding to a problem, and always a problem that emerges from looking at someone else’s artwork. I don’t mean it in the sense of there being something wrong with it, but there is always some quality, some content, I feel like I need to figure out. For a long time, art history was a kind of puzzle to solve. In some bodies of work (like the Erté series), I have wanted to understand what drew me in and kept me there. In others, I’ve wanted to understand what has pushed me away, what’s objectionable or repellent (but often compelling for others). In both cases the impetus is really to make sense of what’s already there.
Do you listen to any music when you create? If so, who do you listen to?
Oh, yes. What people don’t realise about being an artist is how much potential for boredom there is in certain stages of making. It’s time intensive. And yes, there are parts of it where I absolutely need to be concentrating, making the right decisions, maintaining control. But there are also sections of the day where I am doing repetitive tasks that don’t need a lot of consideration. Or at very least, there are tasks where I need something to supplement the experience. Music and audio books and podcasts are very important for studio time. I need an element of surprise, so I keep asking people to make me playlists. Or I rely on Spotify radio (prompted by particular artists) so that I don’t always know what’s coming. I have Soul, Disco, Girl-Pop, Folk, RnB and Hip Hop playlists on any given day. I also like film and TV soundtracks as mood regulators. My partner and studio assistant have also gotten me into video game soundtracks for this purpose. I can’t do EDM or Rock, otherwise I get anxious and angry.
Your pieces in ‘An Entertainment’ speak to the relationship between the body and the vestimentary. What is your relationship like with the clothes you wear? Has completing this body of work affected your perception of its value or purpose in your life?
My love affair with Erté coincides with my love of textiles, fashion and costume. (I was sure I was going to be a fashion designer before I figured out that painting garments, rather than designing them, was where my head was happy). There is admittedly a bit of a disparity between my budget, my taste and my body shape but other than that, it’s a huge source of enjoyment and emotional investment. This series of work is about excess, pattern, exaggerated and irregular silhouettes, bows and ruffles and pleats. With an unlimited budget I think I could get there with my clothes, but the paintings mean I don’t necessarily have to. There is another place to revel in that without putting my body on the line.
You were recently announced as MECCA’s 2024 Holiday Artist (congratulations!). What have been some of the challenges and most exciting parts of the collaboration?
Thank you! The MECCA opportunity was especially beautiful because I didn’t know it was coming. The phone call that I had been selected as the Holiday Artist was the first time I even considered myself to be a possibility for the opportunity. Since then, it’s been a dreamy collaboration. We started with what was, at the time, my most recent bodies of work and the assets I had from making that work (libraries of patterns, of motifs, compositions). We had lots of conversations about the work and its intentions. But I was very open to the process of them reinterpreting it because my work is already about reinterpretation. I don’t think there’s been any challenge other than working into my already hectic life. In any case it was totally worth it, I can’t believe how amazing the final designs look. It’s been such a positive experience.
What are you most excited for that’s coming up?
It’s an exciting week for me with the MECCA Holiday launch and my show at Sullivan+Strumpf (Naarm/Melbourne) opening on 31 October. I am looking forward to celebrating both of those things, because they’ve both been simmering away for such a long time. After all the work that went into these projects, I want to reflect and enjoy for a bit. I have a trip to Japan planned with my partner and daughter to make me stop work for a while (I have to be removed from the studio to stop). And then I’m just going to see what floats my way. I'm pretty excited for that.
