Em Hatton
Tell us a little about who you are and what brought you here.
I am a contemporary artist who paints femme figures unapologetically resting, riding or raging. I create work for the female gaze, painting femme figures with agency, unapologetically resting, joyful, calm and in contemplation. Figures with straight backs and soft bellies. My art practice came out of a need to create a space of psychological safety, joy and comfort my own life after dealing with years of physical and mental health challenges – in my work I try to create for collectors what I struggle to give myself – calm, safety, rest and a safe space for anger and power. I caught long covid in 2022 and got thrown into dealing with ongoing chronic sciatic pain, in March 2024 I was diagnosed with endometriosis after 20 years of severe pain and symptoms being dismissed by doctors. This made me reassess my life and made me focus more on making art because I had no other outlets. I curated a show in 2025 showcasing others who have a similar experience called “What did they tell you” In 2025 also been late diagnosed with ADHD which is a whooole other story but am a journey of untangling what that means for me still.
What invisible or visible part of your story do you wish more people understood?
I think the main thing I want people to understand is that what’s presented visibly is not telling the whole story – often I’m paying off last week’s choices – e.g.: if I do an art fair one week, I will be not functional the next week. Having a chronic condition is all about cost benefit in your choices and sometimes being an artist feels counterproductive to managing chronic health conditions and pain – this means making tradeoffs and missing out sometimes. It can be so sad and exhausting feeling like life is passing you by. I make so much art out of my experiences and giving permission to myself to rest and be present without feeling sad about missing out what I could be doing or achieving and; as much having challenging experiences can be a well of inspiration, and I try to make meaning out of what I struggle with – sometimes things are just sad and need to be felt and that is ok too. It’s ok to feel sad and sit with it, that’s what I’ve been learning on this journey.
How did it feel to be photographed as part of Desire Lines?
Comfortable, seen and supported by a fellow artist who has empathy and a shared lived experience.
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Loved being involved you are a legend, thank you for photographing me ❤
This art is not for sale.
People’s pain and hardship cannot be commodified in this space. This space exists simply to inspire anyone who is struggling to cope or searching for a way through.
The art is a gift from myself and every participant. These images capture a moment in time that allowed us to realise that our pain has given us something priceless:
Wisdom and resilience.
They form the desire lines we walk as we move through each new storm we face, again and again.
marilyntuna.art 