Emily Nam [b. 1984 Australia] is a research-based interdisciplinary designer and painter, host of the artist conversation series, We Are Art People. Working across multiple disciplines and communities has provided Nam with a unique and comprehensive understanding of visual communication and aesthetics. As an innovative problem solver, using systems of experimentation and process for learning, Emily's practice honors an interdisciplinary approach to translating visual ideas into high quality, sustainable and unique products and projects for the public that expand possibilities for creative participation. Artwork and projects have been featured in and designed for print publication, music video, and have included curatorial projects for the interior and gallery space.
Earlier experiences have included roles at Marc Jacobs Collection, Pop Magazine and British Vogue, undertaking a Fashion Features internship [2011]. Previously, through artwork, advertising campaigns and garment construction, Emily has been engaged in a dialogue to explore alternative systems for sustainable production and exchange in the garment industry (please read).
Projects have been featured in:
The New York Times
Vogue
Dazed Korea
POP Magazine
Hyperallergic (online)
Zoo Magazine
NTS Radio
Soho Radio London
i-D Magazine
The World of Interiors
Hyukoh M/V
82 Major M/V
Education
New York Studio School, NY — MFA 2018
RMIT, Australia — B.Design(Fashion. Hons) 2010
Parsons School of Design, NY — Integrated Design Curriculum, study abroad 2008
The University of Melbourne, Australia — B.Sci(Biomedical Anatomy) 2006
Exhibitions + Selected Projects (here)
2025 Dumbo Survey, 20 Jay Street, Brooklyn NY
2023 LIBRARY (group show curated by Glenn Goldberg), Tappeto Volante, Brooklyn, NY
2022 SHAPES, April 21 - May 6 2022, NYSS Projects DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY
2022 [Curator] Objects For Artists, NYSS Projects DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Sculpture (group show curated by Jilaine Jones), NYSS Projects DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY
Awards / Selected Residencies
2025 Camp, CM Von Hausswolff/Michael Esposito, Pyrenees, France
2023-2025 Two Trees CSSP Recipient, Dumbo, BK
2022 New York Studio School Post-Graduate Residency, Dumbo, BK
2016-2018 Milton and Sally Avery Award, New York Studio School
2011 Design Now! Top 8 Emerging Designers, Australia
Artist Statement
My work is an interdisciplinary practice that examines color, form, and sound as systems of decision-making and nonverbal documentation. Drawing from ethnographic considerations, I approach color as both material and cognitive structure—measured, mixed, layered, and experienced—using it as a system of notation to register movement, duration, and spatial relationships. Painting operates as a score rather than an image, where pattern and shape are stacked and juxtaposed to generate rhythm, tension, and correspondence. Through research, ritualized processes, and haptic engagement with materials, each surface develops through accumulation and erasure, retaining evidence of searching rather than resolution. The resulting works function as visual maps that invite navigation, positioning perception as an active process shaped by proximity, repetition, and sensory attention.
For artwork enquiries and collaborations, please email emilynamstudio[a]gmail.com.
All artwork and photography are copyrighted and protected under international copyright laws. Artwork may not be replicated or reproduced in any form without prior permission.