odes to ephemera

odes to ephemera

  • 07 Oct 2025 - 31 Oct 2025
  • 11:00am - 05:00pm
  • FREE
  • First Site Gallery
Storey Hall Basement, 344 Swanston Street, Melbourne
event header image

In 'odes to ephemera' emerging artists Vittoria Cugno, Emma Lynes and Molly Morris-McGinty collaborate to express intangible ways of relating to the world.

Using the materiality of paint to suspend moments in time, the artists consider the empowering states of slowness and mindfulness in an ever-consuming, fast-paced capitalist context. 

 

Emma Lynes is an emerging artist living and working in Naarm/Melbourne who completed her Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Honours) in 2024. Lynes works primarily in oils and gouache to explore the expressive possibilities of the space between abstraction and representation. Seeking inspiration from the natural environment, Lynes lets the slow painting process guide her to reflect upon the beauty that exists within the minutiae of the everyday. Lynes reflects upon her internal landscape to draw out her experience of close observation and expand upon feelings of reverence and connection felt within a present moment. With natural colour palettes, her work is informed by the sublime, romantic and aesthetic sensibilities.

 
Molly Morris-McGinty is an emerging painter living and working in Naarm/Melbourne who graduated with a Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) (Honours) at RMIT University in 2024. Morris-McGinty’s work considers alternate ways of seeing as expressed through paint. She creates scenes drawn from night encounters that conjure moments of wonder and quiet reflection from walking alone in the dark. The artist is inspired by the eerie absence of human presence in this setting. She is particularly interested in the interplay between the anxieties of being alone at night as a woman and the contradictory relief of the solitude and stillness it provides in a fast-paced society.

Vittoria Cugno is an emerging artist living and working in Naarm/Melbourne. In 2024, she completed a Bachelor of Art (Fine Art) (Honours) Degree at RMIT University. Cugno specialises in figurative and representational oil paintings. Her practice involves taking snapshots of fleeting, candid, everyday interactions of human connection that develop into large-scale works, expressing a sense of momentariness. Cugno uses vivid colours and experimental painting techniques to express emotion and the sensations experienced in the captured moment, finding reverence for these brief moments amid the chaotic noise of our capitalist world.

Image: Molly Morris-McGinty, nightlight (detail), 2024. Image courtesy of the artist.

Opening Hours

11am - 5pm Tuesday to Friday

Closed on public holidays

Share

Related events

2026-fringe-gala-reference-1220x732.jpg

Melbourne Fringe Opening Night Gala

Icon / Small / CalendarCreated with Sketch. 29 Sep 2026

Beneath the glowing arches of RMIT University's iconic venue, The Capitol, the Melbourne Fringe Opening Night Gala crackles with life. A 90-minute spectacle of everything Fringe does best: bold ideas, high-voltage performances, and independent art with heat you can feel from the back row.

andrew-ohagan-on-friendship-1220x732.jpg

Andrew O'Hagan: On Friendship

Icon / Small / CalendarCreated with Sketch. 06 Oct 2026

Acclaimed author Andrew O'Hagan joins Marieke Hardy to explore the friendships, encounters and connections that give our lives meaning.

queering-the-music-1220x732.jpg

Queering the Music Video

Icon / Small / CalendarCreated with Sketch. 16 Oct 2026
Icon / Small / LocationCreated with Sketch. The Capitol

Join us at The Capitol for the premiere of three revolutionary d/Deaf-accessible music videos from 'The Legend of Queen Kong', followed by a star-studded panel discussion exploring queer music, film and access.

Load more
aboriginal flag float-starttorres strait flag float-start

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples