Emma Hollingsworth
About Me
Yama. I'm Emma Hollingsworth - a proud Kaanju, Kuku Ya'u and Girramay woman, and the artist behind Mulganai.
I was born in Naarm and now live and work in Meanjin, where I paint from my studio. Mulganai is my middle name. It means 'morning star' in my language - a name gifted to me as a blessing from my Aunty. When I started this business in 2018, it felt right to carry that name into my work.
I've been creating things since before I could walk. I grew up watching my aunties and uncles create beautiful works, and being in community meant being surrounded by culture and art every day - it was all I knew. I always wanted to be an artist. I just didn't believe, for a long time, that I could actually do it for a living.
The turning point was 2017. I joined Digi Youth Arts in Meanjin - a program for young Aboriginal artists - and they gave me the confidence to take it further. By the end of the program I'd exhibited my work for the first time, at the Queensland Museum.
The year after, I took the leap and started Mulganai.
It was very hard at the start. There weren't many First Nations artists with an online presence back then, so I was paving a path without any direction. I started out painting on this stained musty floor of my tiny bedroom in this old beat down Queenslander, working with whatever space and tools I had. No job, no money, just this fire inside me to create. For about a year, not a thing sold. There were a lot of days I thought I'd have to give up and get a 9-5 to survive. Self-doubt was at an all-time high - that was until one evening, one lovely lady chose me, she was my first customer!
Since then, my work has travelled in ways my younger self could never have imagined - into collaborations with Peter Alexander, Nike, Swarovski, Reebok, Supre, Myer, and commissions for the Queensland Government and community organisations across the country. Massive moments, every one of them surreal. But the part I'm most proud of is something quieter: I get to do this every day.
I get to paint stories from Country. I get to be a self-sufficient First Nations woman building something on my own terms - and one day, as this grows, I wish to provide opportunities to other First Nations people.
The themes I keep coming back to are resilience, strength, hope and joy. A lot of contemporary First Nations work carries heavy themes for good reason, and mine does too. But I also paint joy, because joy is part of our story. The vibrant colours, unique patterns and the energy - that's how I see Country. That's how I want people to feel when they live with one of my pieces.
The places that shaped me show up in my work whether I plan it or not: Second Beach, Cardwell, Lockhart, Budgebulla - the waterways of Far North Queensland, the ocean, the Reef. The piece called Deep Depths is about my connection to the blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Every piece has a story like that.
One of the biggest things I've learnt as an Aboriginal artist and business owner is that identity and enterprise aren't separate. My business is an extension of culture. Every artwork carries story. Every collaboration carries responsibility. Every piece you buy supports me, my family, and the community, charities and businesses I work alongside.
Thanks for being here - thanks for choosing me x
- Emma