Australian-Vietnamese visual artist Serena Pham describes herself as a recovering perfectionist. Over the past two years, Pham has built a creative process driven by intuition and experimentation. The result is a body of work that renders familiar scenes in bold impressionist and expressionist brushstrokes. Each painting presents a unique interpretation of the physical world and the emotional realities that mark our connection to it.
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| Called Home, Serena Pham | Source: Supplied |
A career break coupled with moving out of home for the first time gave Pham the opportunity to return to painting in late 2023. “I'm in this beautiful apartment with a lovely view where you can see beautiful skies and then at nighttime - it’s beautiful,” says Pham. “You can see the neighbours’ lights - it's quite magical”. In the 2024 ‘Show Your Westside’ exhibition organised by Sally Walshe and supported by the Maribyrnong City Council, Pham’s work ‘My West-Facing Home’ reflected on the subject directly. Featuring a nightscape over Melbourne’s western suburbs, the warm glow of a neighbouring dwelling’s lights bounces off a nearby rooftop. Overhead, twilight transforms the sky into swirls of orange and blue.
Through her art, Pham reinterprets her surroundings, exploring both their tangible and intangible effects. “I kind of transform it into a world that is more hidden, that is not usually seen,” says Pham. This approach to art making is present throughout her first series of artworks produced in 2024, titled ‘It’s ok to be me’. Here, Pham draws on the natural world, utilising its meditative qualities to encourage viewers to reflect on and connect with their own stories. Each artwork is afforded a name communicating the desired lesson - ‘Let Go’, ‘I Go to Myself’ and ‘Spend Time With Me’ among them.
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| Spend Time With Me, Serena Pham | Source: Supplied |
“How you deal with life shows up within your painting process,” says Pham. As a recovering perfectionist, Pham continues to challenge her need for control by adopting a freer approach to painting. In one of her Instagram posts, progress shots reveal the journey taken to produce ‘Steps to Let Go’. A darkened room takes shape, an overhanging chandelier illuminating the bottom steps of a curved staircase. It leads the viewer through an archway to a distantly lit doorway. In the in-between stages, Pham’s mark making is loose and liberal, a process which she tells me involves lots of risk taking. It is only at the final stage that the piece is refined.
While Pham has worked hard to let go, she admits that her perfectionist side does come in handy. Through a screen share, Pham showcases the multiple iterations of a booth design for ‘The Inner West Art Fair’. Her background as a product designer shines through as space has been carefully carved out for each element - even a chair. This will be Pham’s first art fair - an opportunity for the emerging artist to mingle with other creatives and meet local art enthusiasts. It also affords Pham a chance to tell her own story, one that is marked with embracing imperfection and delving into the unknown.
“I think the art is here to stay,” says Pham, as we discuss her future plans. A rain inspired series may be on the horizon, along with fine tuning a website showcasing her portfolio of work. As Pham continues to acquaint herself with the art world, one thing is for sure - her journey of self discovery is just getting started.
Connect
Find Serena Pham at the Inner West Art Fair from October 17 to October 19 2025.
Keep up to date with her latest works and exhibitions on Instagram and on her official site.