Nina Hanley uses classical painterly techniques to portray worlds where social and emotional taboos are challenged. With inspirations as diverse as Old Master landscapes, domestic animals, sexual imagery, and surrealism, Hanley draws inspiration from her own unique experiences, inventing realities where she can play out scenarios that challenge the modern notion of identity and morality. Consistent throughout her work is the search for the point at which the beautiful and the satirical are held in perfect balance. 

After a cadetship with the Gold Coast Bulletin, Hanley worked as a photojournalist for a decade before leaving the workforce to paint full-time. She was named a finalist in one of Australia’s most important surveys of photographic practice, the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award. Whether rendered in paint or digital print, Nina’s compositions are a wry commentary on the characters that populate her existence, providing an alternative view of her surroundings that are sometimes uncomfortable, yet undeniably touching.