Michelle Hyland

Michelle Hyland is a Western Australian artist whose practice is a meditation on the fleeting nature of existence and the beauty found in what is often overlooked. Walking through cities, she takes photographs of discarded materials—remnants of lives briefly intersecting—rearranging them into new relationships through collage before translating them into oil paintings. Her work explores the quiet poetry of found objects, the way proximity creates meaning, and the ever-shifting landscapes of both the urban environment and the human experience.

Hyland’s practice is rooted in a lifelong love of making, a sense of wonder cultivated in childhood, where assembling scraps of wood into something new felt like an act of magic. That same enchantment remains in her work today—seeing potential in what others discard, revealing hidden connections, and celebrating the impermanence of all things. Drawing inspiration from philosophies, she embraces the idea that everything is in motion, that nothing is fixed, and that beauty arises in the act of noticing.

A graduate of Curtin University, Hyland’s career has spanned painting, printmaking, and public art, with exhibitions across Perth, Berlin, and Assisi. She has received numerous accolades, including the Fremantle Print Award, artist residencies, and a DLGSCI grant that facilitated her research into the structures and rhythms of cities. Her work is held in collections such as Murdoch University and the City of Fremantle.

At its core, Hyland’s art is an affirmation—of the joy in transformation, the wonder in the everyday, and the possibility found in all that is temporary.

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