MUNTHE ART MONDAY: ERIN ARMSTRONG

Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you do.

My name is Erin Armstrong, I'm a painter based in Toronto, Canada. My work explores themes of vulnerability, identity, and the emotional experience of being alive today.

Erin is wearing our BORIS DRESS.

Can you name some other female artists that inspire you and explain why they do so?

There are many female artists whose work I admire, including Bianca Fields, Maja Ruznic, Summer Wheat, Celeste Rapone, Dana Schutz, Larissa Lockshin, Emma Fineman, Ambera Wellmann, and Monica Subidé.

What inspires me most is the way each artist has developed a distinctive visual language while remaining true to their own perspective. Their work is ambitious, emotionally rich, and constantly pushes me to think more deeply about my own practice.

What would you like people to notice in your artwork?

I'd like viewers to notice that the paintings don't offer a complete story. I intentionally leave parts unresolved so there is room for personal interpretation. I'm interested in creating images that feel both familiar and mysterious at the same time.

Rather than providing answers, I hope the work invites questions and encourages viewers to bring their own experiences into the narrative. Ultimately, I hope people can recognize something of themselves in the subtle emotions and tensions that the paintings explore.

Could you explain more about how being a woman has affected your career?

Being a woman has shaped both my experience as an artist and the subjects I explore in my work. Earlier in my career, I felt there were certain opportunities that were more difficult to access, although I do think there has been a positive shift toward greater inclusivity over the last five or six years. There is still plenty of work to be done.

My experience as a woman has also directly influenced the narratives I paint. Much of my work explores themes that affect women, and I approach these subjects from a distinctly female perspective. Last year, for example, I presented a solo exhibition at KÖNIG Gallery in Berlin that focused on women's autonomy and vulnerability in today's world. The paintings depicted nude female figures placed within dense natural environments, surrounded by flora and fauna in ways that felt both beautiful and unsettling. The works were intended to reflect some of the complexities, anxieties, and vulnerabilities that can accompany the experience of being alive today.

Erin is wearing our OBEY PANTS and NOLOCCA KNIT.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a woman in the arts?

I think one of the greatest challenges has historically been visibility and access to opportunities. While progress has certainly been made, women artists have often had to work harder to receive the same level of recognition, institutional support, or representation as their male counterparts.

At the same time, I think there can be pressure placed on women artists to fit into certain expectations, whether that's around the themes they explore, the way they present themselves, or how their work is interpreted. The most important thing I've learned is to stay focused on making work that feels honest and meaningful to me, rather than trying to fit into anyone else's idea of what my practice should be.