Artist behind the ASA NSC 2024 logo

The NSC24 logo was born from the artwork of the contemporary Aboriginal artist and muralist, Elizabeth Close. An Anangu woman from the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Language Groups, Elizabeth was born in Adelaide but grew up in outback SA, returning to Adelaide to complete her secondary schooling, and attend university to complete a Bachelor of Nursing and a Graduate Certificate in Emergency Nursing. Elizabeth worked as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department of a busy Adelaide metropolitan hospital for a decade, while using art to reflect on the lasting effects of intergenerational experiences within her family. In 2007, Elizabeth began to paint professionally and exhibit her work throughout Adelaide and her practice organically grew as she balanced nursing, art, and motherhood. By 2014 she had built up a full-time arts practice, and after the birth of their second child, Elizabeth and her family relocated to the APY Lands to reconnect with family, language, and culture; something that is profoundly reflected in the evolution of her work.

In developing the artwork behind the NSC24 logo, Elizabeth employed a blend of full-colour and individual elements in the logo design, each representing core concepts informed by anaesthetic practice: trust, care, and choice. These ideas were extensively explored in conversations with Elizabeth’s maternal figure, a senior anaesthetist, who played a pivotal role in the creative process. Through this work, Elizabeth aims to shed light on the multifaceted responsibilities of anaesthetists, which may go unnoticed by the general public, including their involvement in procedures like c-sections and just how much trust we place in them.