Xanthe Muston is a Sydney-based artist whose practice explores private moments of introspection and connection. Influenced by her studies in English Literature, Xanthe’s process often begins by taking scenes from short stories and poems, particularly those of Raymond Carver and Mark Strand.

In doing so, she renders scenes that are wedged between the everyday and the unusual. Some of these paintings are treated as vignettes that capture the quiet shifts and movements of everyday happenings, which often go overlooked. Others are surreal imaginings of individuals who anticipate their induction into the rituals of domestic life. They capture, as Mark Strand wrote, the moments when “the dust settles,/ and the miraculous hours of childhood wander into darkness” (“In Celebration”).