“Channelling cherished memories and enduring affiliations, Boulter’s work visualises a profound synchronicity between the natural world and the human psyche. The works are an invitation into Boulter’s personal experience of self and landscape, an echoing of the internal within the external. ‘My paintings are about life and longing’, reflects Boulter, ‘about the intangible nature of beauty, the passing of time, and my attempt to find my place in it all.”
Michaye Boulter is an artist based in lutruwita/Tasmania. Her practice explores the representational and abstract qualities of atmosphere, questioning how the portrayal of place can convey a sense of uncertainty and searching while also suggesting notions of belonging and shelter. Her focus on the coastline is a result of personal experiences, a lifetime spent on or by the water. Working primarily with oil on linen, board and hand-beaten steel, Boulter has exhibited extensively across Australia with over 25 solo exhibitions. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Tasmania. Her work has been featured in numerous art prizes, including the Wynne Prize (2019), the John Glover Prize (multiple years) and Hadley’s Art Prize (2023 and 2025). In 2024 she was commissioned by the Devonport Regional Gallery for a solo exhibition, and in 2023 completed a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. Her work is held in public and private collections throughout Australia, including the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and Parliament House in Canberra.
I pay my respects to the Palawa people as the traditional custodians of lutruwita/Tasmania, and to the Muwinina people of nipaluna/Hobart, whose land I live and work on. I respect their Elders past and present, and their continuing care of and connection to the land, water, and culture.