Emma Coulter explores the processes of intuitive mark making within the genre of automatic painting.
March 11th, 2011
Emma Coulter is bringing her 4th solo show to Melbourne’s fortyfivedownstairs from 3 May to 14 May.

The show has garnered plenty of industry support, with Stylecraft, Wilkhahn, Schiavello, Corporate Culture, Jardan, Kvadrat Maharam and Zenith all getting involved – and Four Sisters providing wine.
Called Shedding Skin, this new collection of works continues Coulter’s intuitive, instinctive play of colour and materials.

“My work is informed by what I perceive in an everyday context as well as more subconscious references,” says Coulter.

“Layers of paint are sometimes disconnected and hostile against each other; at other times they juxtapose to find harmony. Each painterly layer informs the next, shaping the work and recording a mark in time; each a reference to process and history.
“As the work progresses structure and refinement appear, to shape a lucid resolution.”

Shedding Skin is, for Coulter, just that – casting off an outer layer to reveal what’s underneath. Although very much another chapter in the narrative that links her work, Shedding Skin pushes the boundaries of scale and colour even further.

Shedding Skin
by Emma Coulter
fortyfivedownstairs
45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
3 – 14 May 2011
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Developed by bangdesign for Stylecraft, Kinn is an Australian-made collection of seating and occasional tables, shaped by modest proportions, practical detail and the changing demands of shared interiors.
The magnetic pull of certain spaces comes down to how seamlessly they work and, more importantly, how they feel. Recognising this, Kettal Workplace draws on the uplifting codes of other sectors to deliver contemporary workplace design.
At 3daysofdesign 2026, AHEC’s immersive exhibition traced the journey of American hardwood from forest to finished product.
Aeron Chair’s new shades, Nightfall and Jasper, arrive with a sense of quiet cohesion – no bells and whistles, no loud technicolour; just two timeless, perfectly versatile near-neutrals. But the new hues aren’t just about colour – and their significance is much more profound than their surface-level subtlety might suggest.
Victorian-based Apaiser Bathware been successful in securing the supply contract for the prestigious Four Seasons Guangzhou hotel in China.
Auckland Design Week returns for its third edition in March, unveiling an expanded programme and a renewed focus on the relationship between people, communities and the places they shape.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Set within hallowed architectural surroundings amidst the ghosts of Harry Seidler and Pier Luigi Nervi, fjcstudio’s new Sydney home brings geometric clarity and a spirit of creative exchange to a challenging workplace fit-out.
A wander around a BACHLI showroom reveals a tapestry of captivating furniture designs, curated precisely and craft-led. Thanks to its longstanding partnerships with iconic designers, BACHLI has become a go-to for discovering the most exciting established and emerging Australian and international brands. Initially based in Melbourne, BACHLI have recently expanded into Sydney with their Surry Hills showroom, increasing their presence and opening their invitation to the design-savvy and curious nationwide.
The Australian Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2026 National Architecture Awards Shortlist has been revealed, showcasing some of the country’s best new homes, buildings and community spaces before the winners are announced in October.
Shortlisted in the 2026 INDE.Awards are a plethora of projects from Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Architects’ members. We celebrate the talent that resides in this country, as we showcase design that crosses borders and resonates in our Indo-Pacific region.