Published in the May/June 2026 edition of Art Guide Australia, this feature sees arts writer Kar Mun Phoon visit Lottie Consalvo's Newcastle studio ahead of her major solo exhibitions Of the night at Nanda\Hobbs, Sydney, and MONUMENTO at MAC yapang, Lake Macquarie.
Set within Longworth House, the historic Victorian building that serves as both home and studio for Consalvo and fellow artist James Drinkwater, the article offers an intimate look into the artist's daily life, creative process and evolving practice. Phoon explores the spaces where Consalvo works in the early hours of the morning, reflecting on the role of dreams, meditation, memory and the unknown in shaping her work.
The feature coincides with a significant period in Consalvo's career, including the release of her monograph We hover above the ground in hope that we might float and a series of major exhibitions across Australia and New Zealand. Through conversations in the studio, Consalvo discusses the pursuit of deeper forms of seeing and the influence of the night as both a physical and psychological space within her paintings.
"When I'm in the studio—and it's usually in the early hours of the morning—it feels like I'm in a sacred space and something important is happening. It doesn't always happen, but I find that if I'm there in the dark, it's like the gates open. It's a shortcut to creativity for me."
— Lottie Consalvo
Art Guide Australia, May/June 2026
Inside Lottie Consalvo's Studio
Words by Kar Mun Phoon
Photographs by Hamish Ta-mé
