When I first met Dina Broadhurst, I remember her telling me about her interior design work, nothing about her art, which has made it all the more intriguing for me to feel as if I have stumbled upon it on my own. You know when you start to take note of something here and there and then one day really hone into it and become a little obsessed? That’s me, with Dina’s art…and I might have a bit of a girl crush too.
Broadhurst is a Sydney-based interior designer, artist and collector. She is successful, talented and smart; her knowledge of art history and theory is clear when she speaks about her work. I love the 3 dimensional qualities of her photographic collages, the playfulness of her work – to me it seems as if everything she does is a brand new attempt at something, yet aligns with a core truth that identifies it as undeniably hers.
I’ve chosen a collection of her female driven pieces to share with you and I love this excerpt from her bio that describes her art so aptly: The untamed natural beauty inside versus the staged, polished, edited and cropped versions that we present to others and consume daily. A sterile “face” or image devoid of emotion, but all that burns underneath the “skin”. The images leave you with a pretty picture that you can read into wherever your mind takes you.
There are two things for me about her work that especially stand out.
1) The simplicity she finds in every piece. This is true talent, to know when to stop. Her works say so much by showing so little.
2) The sensual and feminine qualities she celebrates without glorifying them. Somehow there is a strength and softness in her all her work, but namely her female pieces. This to me is so powerful because that’s what femininity is; a beautiful balance between these (and a million other) traits.
I’d love to go without saying, because it seems irrelevant, but actually ends up being quite pertinent to her work (namely, self-portraiture)…she is STUNNING. Beautiful creature, beautiful mind. It’s no wonder that beauty and the female form play key roles in her work. I especially love how she owns the sexy side of herself while being a business woman and mother (amongst other things). I’ve always shied away from truly embracing that side of myself, especially publicly and I don’t know why? Following her and reading about her art, has made me more self-relfective regarding this. Also, I was dying to ask her a few pressing questions of my own.
ND: As a mother, especially as a mother of a boy, how do you maintain your sexual, sensual, feminine side along with your maternal qualities. Do you ever have to think about both of those sides of yourself and quell one in favour of the other?
DB: As a mother of a boy my greatest challenge is to keep my sexuality unhidden, unashamed of and proud in the eyes of my son and other people. As a man I want him to be proud of how he feels as sexuality is a feeling; to be confident, open and to be in touch with his emotions. To see me in my skin not hiding, to see my cry, to see me hurt and to see me smile. He has to see it all and how others react to it also, not just behind closed doors. With intimate relationships I want him to see love not just as a word but as a feeling and an action. To see kisses and touch, we are very big on touch in our family both with me and father and son. Not the type that is a chore or a rule like come give me a kiss good night or hug me I’m going away for work, it’s just always and for no reason. I walk down the street often arm in arm with my son. From a mother to a son I am proud to pass on what I think it is to show a woman respect and honesty and all the facets of how a woman feels, moods, body image; the works. He gets it all – good and bad, light and shade.
ND: Who would you say are our greatest artistic influences?
DB: My influences are always photographers with a strong sense of composition & colour or those who explore sexuality with strength and confidence in a timeless style. Newton, Bourdin and Viviane Sassen. Also, artists who use pared back bold collage like John Baldessari, Barbara Kruger or Elad Lassry.
In true girl crush style, I immediately wanted to know more about her and see as much of her work as possible. I read this great article in my research that asked about her beauty routine: cue to me slathering on the rose hip oil every morning since 
Hope I’m not too late!
All images: Dina Broadhurst
See so much more on her instagram @dinabroadhurst
The post Most Wanted List: Dina Broadhurst Art appeared first on The Transcontinental Affair.