• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • DONATE

Flying Arts Alliance

Art for Life

  • About
    • Our Founder
    • Our Patrons, Board and Team
    • Governance
    • Partners
    • Archives
    • Alumni Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • What’s On
    • FLYING ARTISTRY PROJECT
    • Programs
      • Annual Program
      • For Artists + Artsworkers
      • For Educators
      • For Young Artists
      • Past Webinars
  • News
    • Flying Arts News
    • Email Newsletter Sign-Up
    • Media
    • Photo Gallery
      • 2025 Exhibitions
        • 2024 QRAA Gala
        • 2025 Emerging Artists Award Exhibition Opening
        • Resolution and the Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award Touring Exhibition Opening in Cairns
        • 2025 Art for Life Opening by Bernard Singleton & Simone Arnol
      • 2024 Exhibitions
        • NAOMI HOBSON SOLO EXHIBITION OPENING
        • COLINA WYMARRA SOLO EXHIBITION OPENING
        • Michelle Le Plastrier Solo Exhibition Opening
        • Clare Jaque Vasquez Solo Exhibition Opening
        • Lincoln Austin Solo Exhibition Opening
        • 2023 QRAA Perspective Touring Exhibition Cairns Court House Gallery
      • 2023 Exhibitions
        • 2023 QRAA Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award Exhibition at Mitchel Fine Art Gallery
        • 2023 QRAA Emerging Artist Award Exhibition Opening
        • 2023 QRAA Gala
        • 2023 QRAA LAUNCH EVENT
      • 2022 Exhibitions
        • 2022 QRAA GALA
        • 2022 Mervyn Moriarty Exhibition
        • 2022 Rosella Namok Exhibition
  • Membership
    • Standard Membership
    • Accredited Membership (Includes Insurance)
      • Visual Artists and Practitioners
      • Installers and Conservators
      • Arts Administrators, Arts Project Coordinators
      • Writers
      • Musicians
    • Member Benefits
  • QRAA
    • 2024: QRAA – Winners Announcement
    • 2024: QRAA – Finalists Announcement
    • Previous Years QRAA
  • Exhibitions
    • QRAA Touring Exhibition
      • RESOLUTION
      • Previous QRAA Tours
    • The Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Exhibition
      • 2025 The Mervy Moriarty Landscape Award Touring Exhibition
      • 2024 TOURING EXHIBITION
      • The Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Exhibition 2022
    • EMERGING ARTIST AWARD EXHIBITION
    • Previous Exhibitions
  • Grants
    • Regional Arts Fund
    • Other Funding Support
  • By Request
    • Case Studies
    • For Creative Communities
    • For Schools
    • For Artists and Creatives
  • Search

Artist Feature: Elysha Rei

Elysha Rei HeadshotElysha Rei is a practicing visual artist, curator and art event coordinator currently residing in Brisbane. Her passion for the arts extends from making, exhibiting and curating art, to managing cultural spaces and community events. With a successful installation at the BrisAsia festival in her wake, she’s looking forward to presenting a workshop showcasing her unique paste-up style at the upcoming ArtizPUBLIC@Toowoomba. Today we had a chance to sit down with her to talk about what makes her artistic self tick.

Elysha Rei Paste-up BirdsHi Elysha! Thank you for agreeing to answer a few questions. To start off with, would you mind telling me what inspires you to create?

I have a collection of drawings, pictures, clippings and an ideas bank scattered between journals, folders and around my home.  I’ve always got a thirst to make something and find that I go a bit stir crazy if I’m between projects.  I do get inspired by the thought of learning about something new in the process of it – whether it be about exploring new geographical territory, cultures or even something about myself with family history or personal growth.

Oh great! Tell me, what first got you interested in your particular artform? Who inspires you?

My paste-ups take a lot of their inspiration from the US street artist SWOON aka Caledonia Curry.  SWOON is a classically trained artist in drawing and printmaking. She felt quite alienated when she first moved to New York.  After starting to paste her beautiful prints and drawings on the walls in the streets she really started to find her artistic voice.  I love how each of her works are interwoven with important stories and messages, and the paste-up process has really allowed her to engage with a wider audience across the world. 

So what was your first ‘big break’ as an artist?

Elysha Rei - Birds on a WireMy first big break was when I landed a commission by a Curator in Brisbane for the 12 Days of Christmas Installation in King George Square.  It involved creating an installation piece using a giant Styrofoam number ‘1’ for the first line in the Christmas Carol – ‘A partridge in a pear tree’.  My idea included putting a miniature clothesline on top of the number with a bird and pairs of socks pegged to it – referencing that point in my life as a domestic stay-at-home mum, and the clothesline being a ‘pair’ tree with socks hanging all over it. It was the first time I had one of my ideas accepted and fully financed. I even had an assistant!

That sounds incredible! Tell me – what advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Elysha Rei - Koi WindowJuggling an arts practice with the rest of your life can be a challenge. Definitely build confidence in your ideas, your mistakes and your desired pathway – whether that be from making and exhibiting in galleries, or doing public art projects or installations. Learning to say no to things can also be a really important skill to have.

Any path you choose will have to be carved out by you – meaning that there is no step-by-step process that fits everyone. This makes it quite challenging at times but also very rewarding when you can finally get to a place where you are satisfied with the work you are making and the opportunities that come from it.

Elysha Rei will be presenting a workshop on paste-up art during our upcoming Young Artist Development program.

event - ArtizPUBLICArtizPUBLIC@Toowoomba

5 Apr @ 5:00 pm – 8 Apr @ 6:00 pm
Flying Arts Alliance and USQ are joining First Coat to bring you ArtizPUBLIC@Toowoomba. Over three days young artists will take part in a program of contemporary street art styles and gain valuable insight into further training, education and career opportunities in the arts.
Bookings close 4 March.

Filed Under: Artist Feature, Flying Arts News, Latest News

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Flying Arts Alliance acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands and seas on which we work, live and create. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Flying Arts Alliance is honoured to acknowledge the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Dr Jeanette Young AC PSM as our Patron. We also acknowledge Mr Tim Fairfax AC and Mrs Gina Fairfax AC as our Cultural Patrons.

Flying Arts is a not-for-profit organisation inspiring the appreciation, practice and professional development of the visual and media arts as a lifetime interest or career throughout regional and remote Queensland.

Flying Arts is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. Flying Arts is supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funds from Creative Partnerships Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. Flying Arts is supported by corporate partners and benefactors.

Flying Arts is the administrator in Queensland of the Regional Arts Fund (RAF), an Australian Government program provided through Regional Arts Australia.

Footer

Quick Links

  • Flying Arts News
  • Terms Of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Touring Team Portal

Contact Us

Ph: +61 7 3216 1322
Email: admin@flyingarts.org.au

Support Us

Support Flying Arts Alliance
by donating to the
Art for Life Giving Fund.
Donations above $2
are tax deductible.

Follow Us

  • Youtube
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin

© 2025 · Flying Arts Alliance · Website by Shortie Designs

Cookies help us to deliver our services. By using our services, you consent to our use of cookies. Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

    X
    X