Midas’ Daughter II - Golden still life - Large Edition Ed. 1 of 3

Winner of the Bluethumb 2022 Overall and Photography award

Inspired by the story of king Midas, who loved gold so much he made a wish that everything he touch turn to gold. At first the gift seemed to fulfil his every dream and satiate every craving. Until he couldn’t enjoy simple pleasures such as smelling a rose or enjoying a meal. And then his little daughter hugged him and also turned into gold. Tragically he realised too late that his greatest joy had been in front of him all along.
A reminder to cherish those you love and that the simple pleasures are actually the greatest treasures.

This image was a challenge the artist set herself: "Rather than layer photographs together as I often do, I wanted this to be a single image. Every piece of the background (flowers, leaves, fruit) I’ve spray painted gold, and our lovely Midas’ daughter has been covered in body paint. I stood on a ladder to photograph her lying on the golden foliage.

When I look at the image, I'm always drawn to how peaceful she looks, as though she has just fallen asleep, the apple lying loosely in her hands. When you look closely, her body is actually covered in goosebumps and I love the juxtaposition or her serenity against the raised flesh. Did she know the second before she was turned into gold that something was about to happen? I'm urged to compare her utter trust with the love that Midas' daughter had for her father. How completely trusting and dependent all of our children are on us and what it is we do with that power and responsibility."

Please feel free to message with any questions.

Midas' Daughter I and II are available only in the following limited editions:

Medium
100x72cm: Edition of 8+2AP (2 remaining)
$1500

Large
120x87cm: Edition of 3+1AP
$2200

XL
146x106cm: Edition of 1+1AP
$3400

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Lauren Starr is an Australian photo-media artist creating narrative works at the intersection of myth, history, and land. Her practice centres on women’s lived and inherited experiences, drawing on fairytales, colonial histories, and personal ancestry to reimagine familiar stories through a contemporary lens.

Working with staged photography and digital compositing, Starr constructs painterly tableaux that sit between reality and myth. Her images often incorporate photographed fragments of her own paintings and textures, creating layered works that feel both symbolic and embodied.

Recent works explore themes of re-wilding, instinct, and the quiet reclamation of power, particularly through reimagined female archetypes and narratives from the Victorian goldfields.

Starr is a finalist in the 2026 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize and has been recognised through the Olive Cotton Award and Head On Photo Awards. She is the recipient of the Bluethumb Art Prize (Photography + Grand Prize, 2022), and her work is held in public collections including Parliament House Melbourne and Bendigo Art Gallery.