Between Seeing and Being 2

Part of the Between Seeing and Being series, it explores the tension between how we are seen and who we experience ourselves to be. Each portrait is split or layered, holding two states at once, the outward identity and the internal reality. The work is less about the subject and more about the space between perception and truth.

The inspiration comes from noticing how easily identity shifts under observation. We perform, adjust, and construct versions of ourselves, often without realising it. These paintings pause that moment where something feels slightly misaligned or revealed.

Visually, the contrast in colour and mark-making reflects this duality. One side is often more resolved or recognisable, while the other becomes abstract, fragmented, or obscured.

In a space, these works hold attention. They add intensity and conversation, not just as portraits but as psychological presence. They suit collectors drawn to work that feels confronting and reflective, rather than purely decorative.

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Emma Collins is a South Australia–based figurative-abstract artist whose work explores identity, consciousness, and the layers of self we move through as human beings. She lives and works on the Yorke Peninsula, where her practice is grounded in both solitude and sustained inquiry.

Originally trained in graphic design, Emma brings a strong sense of composition and visual structure to her painting practice. Her commitment to fine art deepened through the Milan Art Institute’s Mastery Program, where she refined her voice and developed a process that treats painting not as illustration, but as investigation.

Working with mixed media and oil paints, Emma builds richly layered surfaces that balance realism with symbolic and expressive elements. Her work is informed by Vedanta philosophy and a background in psychology, allowing her to explore the nature of identity without relying on narrative or doctrine.

Rather than offering answers, her paintings act as mirrors. As Emma describes it,
"I don’t want you to simply look at my work. I want it to look back at you and ask who you are beneath the roles you wear.”

Her exhibitions and series often invite both beauty and discomfort, encouraging viewers to pause, question, and engage with their own inner experience. She is currently preparing her Unmasked series for the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2026, alongside developing future projects that include immersive exhibitions, collaborative works, and small-scale art retreats.