ABOUT
Jessica Murtagh is a South Australian glass artist whose practice combines traditional glassblowing with illustrative surface techniques. She holds a Master of Design (Contemporary Art) from the University of South Australia. Her practice leans heavily on illustration, employing sandcarving and engraving techniques to create intricate imagery and layered narratives on glass. Her works take the form of both functional and sculptural vessels, drawing inspiration from the natural world and classical artefacts contrasted with observations of contemporary life.
Her work explores themes of history, femininity, nature and everyday life, drawing inspiration from classical artefacts and decorative movements. A lifelong fascination with botany, ancient societies and museum artefacts informs much of her imagery, from romantic depictions of flora to vignettes of contemporary life imagined as future artefacts. Her work reflects on what stories are preserved through objects and how beauty and narrative can coexist on the surface of craft materials.
Her narrative driven works reference the artefacts of ancient societies, particularly those of Athens, whose stone and ceramic objects offer glimpses into both mythic and everyday life. These depictions of ordinary life in ancient eras have informed Murtagh’s exploration of what future relics might reveal about our own time, questioning what traces of contemporary culture will endure.
Murtagh has exhibited widely across Australia and internationally, including presentations in New York, Milan and Auckland. Her work has been shown in major exhibitions and prizes such as the 2023 NGV Triennial and was awarded Second Prize in the inaugural Make Award. Her pieces are represented in several Australian public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Powerhouse Museum and the Parliament House Collection.
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