Melbourne-born artist Lottie Consalvo’s journey is rooted in the exploration of the invisible world. She explores thought, imagination, dreams, and the possibilities that lie beyond the real. Her diverse practice spans painting, performance, video, and sculpture—consistently probing the limitations of the known world and striving to push beyond its veil. 

Practising out of Newcastle, she brings to life the formative and creative forces of the mind—delving into primal states of imagination and memory through tangible expressions of the psychological and emotional. Her paintings are wild, gestural, and indeterminate; probing tensions between both body/mind, and lived/processed experiences. She draws profound parallels between the unknown in human existence and the mystical phenomena found in nature—the ocean, the horizon, the bush, and other species. These natural elements become metaphors for our inner worlds; an exploration of desire, longing, loss. Using a restricted palette, Consalvo often employs monumental forms and high contrast between dark and light to carve out spaces for the unknown and intangible—a materialisation of thought, imagination and memory—where the psychological transitions into physical form. 

Moving beyond traditional representation, Consalvo’s practice holds deep reverence for the mind’s remarkable capacity to innovate, renew and regenerate. Video and live performance are a testament to her ability to create a mental and emotional presence, engaging our imagination when she is not physically present. She honours our ability to endure loss, trauma, and grief, weaving a new universe of past and future, and opening a door into what we perceive to be ungraspable and ineffable. 

In 2015, Consalvo completed a residency with Marina Abramovic as part of Kaldor Public Art Projects 30 in Sydney, and an exhibition at Hamburg’s Millerntor Gallery #5. In 2018, she held her first solo museum exhibition at Heide Museum of Modern Art in Victoria. The following year, she showcased her Horizon video works at Casula Powerhouse, and had a major exhibition at Maitland Regional Art Gallery. Consalvo’s work has been exhibited internationally, including in Germany, Mexico, and New Zealand, and is held in various esteemed collections such as Artbank, Newcastle Art Gallery, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Gippsland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Macquarie University, Newcastle University, Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, and The Stevenson Collection.

Words: Anthea Mentzalis
Photo: Ben Adams