Silent Hysteria

Inspired to paint a woman, about a women's issue, I enlisted the help of my friend. Leah, an actress, moved me by her performance in Cockroach, a play that toured Australia wowing audiences by calling out misogynist behaviour through the hilarity of theatrically performed stand-up and creating dialogue around the #metoo movement as it went.

I asked Leah to get into character during our sitting and saw different sides of her emerge, beyond the kind and calm person I have long known. As she contorted her body, she evoked within my own confronting expressions that I do not dare reveal to the world. Painting Leah in these juxtaposed states gave me the opportunity to reflect cathartically on my own mental health journey, but also that of women historically.

The title 'Silent Hysteria' talks to the practice of women being forced into mental asylums against their will and being "treated" for their “perversions” with a myriad of absurd approaches for centuries, essentially suppressing any free expression that could potentially bring discomfort to the patriarchy.

After all, women are better "seen, not heard," and are "prettier when they smile."

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Ess Ree, is the artistic moniker of Stacey Holmes. Born on Wiradjuri country, Australia and based in Melbourne Australia, Holmes is a contemporary painter who primarily works with oil on wood panel, canvas and linen.

She remains open to the act of play as the mysteries of the materials reveal themselves and a path to understanding the human psyche's eternal search for the sublime is paved.

Her work delves into juxtapositions of subject matter encompassing contemporary fashion couture, artificial intelligence, natural elements, philosophy, and the ethereal.

Ess Ree, captivated by humanity's dance with the natural cosmos amidst the digital age's dawn, blends time-honored brushstrokes with the avant-garde spirit, crafting a symphony of Futurism entwined with the echoes of Classical art's soul.

Trained in European atelier methods in California, holding a BVA from Sydney University and a Grad Dip Ed from Griffith University, Ess Ree also shares her expertise locally as an art teacher in a prestigious college.

Committed to refining her skills as a lifelong student of the arts herself, she participates in ongoing training and workshops alongside fellow professional artists, aiming to embody the technical mastery of the great Master artists of the past.