About Em Crawford
Artist Statement
Em Crawford is a multi-disciplinary artist originally from Perth, WA now based in Sydney, NSW (Australia). Her practice involves the use of textiles, particularly hand embroidery, collage, drawing, printmaking and photography. Her work discusses themes of social connectivity and colloquial language and how these aspects relate to one another, as well as female identity and culture. Her work develops from points of personal experience such as spontaneous nature walks, conversations about gender roles and female experiences, pop cultural references in film, music, literature and Internet iconography, mental health and relationships with family and friends.
Biography
Emily Crawford - Em - is an artist, designer and emerging curator originally from Perth, Western Australia (Whadjuk Noongar booja) and currently based in Sydney, New South Wales. Her earliest influences in the arts came from familial and community experiences in childhood. Her mother crocheted, knitted, and sewed clothes for the family, her paternal grandfather was a former TAFE department director for woodworking that turned to intarsia as a hobby and there was also a painter who attended church with the family who gifted them a painting of young Emily when she was a child - sparking her interest in art.
Crawford began pursuing the arts in her teens, being one of two in her graduating class that studied art in the tertiary exam level and winning first prize in a local district competition with her artwork. After high school, from 2015 to 2017, she attended Curtin University, completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts under the guidance of various established, mid-career artists and arts academics. In 2019, she produced her first solo show at the Leederville YMCA HQ titled 'MOIRA', inspired by the nature of power manifested by the Moirae (the Fates in Ancient Greek Mythology and Lore) represented by craftwork and textiles.
Crawford then returned to Curtin University in 2021 to complete her Honours qualification under the supervision of Dr Monika Lukowska. In the same year she began to participate in markets selling handmade and embroidered art, jewellery and objects.
In 2024, Crawford moved to Sydney to pursue a Masters in Curating and Cultural Leadership - seeking a greater understanding of the arts and cultural industry in Australia and internationally. She also became employed by UNSW Galleries in the same year. Crawford completed her Masters with Excellence in 2025.
Throughout her artistic career, Crawford has also facilitated workshops for different communities and age demographics in Australian metropolitan and regional areas as well as international locations. She has done this through volunteering with community programs and in paid positions over the years. It is her hope is to foster opportunities, connections, and education for emerging artists in a way that she herself did not feel was present for her as an emerging arts practitioner.
CV + Timeline
Featured Artworks & Exhibitions
2025 – Fabricating ‘x’ (group exhibition), AD Space at UNSW Art & Design
2025 – What did they tell you? (group exhibition), UNO Studios
2025 – Incognito Art Show, Sydney collection
2023 – The Language of Colour (group exhibition), Mundaring Art Centre
2023 – Hand in Hand (group exhibition), Mundaring Art Centre
2023 – Minnawarra Art Awards, City of Armadale
2023 – 404: Shame Not Found (group exhibition), Camelot Arts
2022 – Soft Rage (group exhibition), The Motley Bauhaus
2022 – Hypervision, Midland Junction Art Centre
2021 – Curtin Graduate Show, Curtin University
2021 – City of Canning Art Awards, City of Canning
2021 – Hypervision, Midland Junction Art Centre
2020 – Small Scale Art Award, Lethbridge Gallery
2020 – Refocus Youth Rally, SDA Conference
2020 – Creative Corner, Adventist Record magazine
2020 – Hypervision, Midland Junction Art Centre
2020 – 50 Squared, Brunswick Street Gallery
2019 – Lumina Tent Background Mural, SDA Conference
2019 – MOIRA (solo exhibition),YMCA HQ Gallery WA
2017 – Curtin Graduate Show, Curtin University
2017 – South Perth Emerging Artist Awards, City of South Perth
2017 – City of Canning Art Awards, City of Canning
2017 – PAY ME (group exhibition)
2017 – 30x30 (group exhibition), Tangent Gallery, Curtin University
2016 – 20x20 (group exhibition), Tangent Gallery, Curtin University
2016 – Some Work We Did (group exhibition), Curtin University
2016 – Jenisus Tent Backdrop Mural, SDA Conference
Awards
2022 - Mixed Media (Adult) Category Prize - City of Canning Art Awards, City of Canning
2022 - Experimental Art Category (Runner-up) - Hypervision, Mundaring Arts Centre
2014 - First Place (Painting) - Outside the Frame, City of Armadale