Happy hues can blow away those office blues
An artist-in-residence is a great way to inspire creativity in the office, which is why Brisbane company Aruga now has their own.
Having an artist around is good for a business. Having an official artist-in-residence is even better, according to Aruga co-founder Adam Brunes, who says the gig is a creative partnership that was years in the making.
Aruga is a Brisbane-based creative communications agency working at the intersection of public relations, brand storytelling and placemaking. Founded in 2017, Aruga partners with leading tourism, arts and lifestyle brands to deliver culturally resonant campaigns that shape conversation and build long-term brand equity.
Working across PR, marketing, design, strategy and brand experiences, Aruga creates ideas that connect people to place – and is well known in the arts community.
The company has just appointed Queensland independent artist Hues of Happy, the artistic practice of Elisha Oatley Escreet, as its inaugural artist-in-residence, marking a confident step in bringing visual art deeper into the agency’s creative practice.
The new artist-in-residence program embeds a practicing artist within Aruga to spark cross-disciplinary collaboration and inject visual storytelling into marketing, placemaking and precinct-shaping campaigns. As part of the initiative, Aruga will expand its integrated services to include curated murals and site-specific artworks for clients seeking culturally resonant brand experiences.
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‘(Elisha) understands the power of art to shift conversations and shape place’
Gold Coast-based artist Hues of Happy is known for her vibrant feminist pop art, evocative street murals and a practice grounded in sustainability. Her work blends colour, satire and social commentary in a distinctly contemporary Australian voice. She has exhibited across Queensland, including at HOTA and the Judith Wright Centre, and is recognised for her environmental consciousness through locally framed, sustainably produced collections.
“Elisha’s art is joy-soaked, vibrant and socially minded, and it reflects the same energy we bring to our work every day,” Brunes says. “She understands the power of art to shift conversations and shape place, and we’re excited to see her vision infuse our campaigns, activations and client projects.”
During the residency, Escreet will collaborate closely with Aruga Studio, the agency’s design team, and BonBon, its specialist activations and experience division, contributing original works, mural concepts and visual direction for client campaigns.
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Escreet says the residency feels like a natural next step in a creative partnership built on shared values.
“Aruga has always championed culturally relevant, high-impact storytelling, and that aligns strongly with the core of Hues of Happy,” she says. “This residency gives me the opportunity to explore bigger ideas, connect with new audiences and contribute art that sparks joy, conversation and change.”
The partnership launches with a bold interactive cosmic installation at Aruga’s South Brisbane headquarters titled Space Cats, featuring playful, expressive characters inspired by the agency’s mascot and the 20-strong creative team driving its work.
Layered throughout the mural are 12 illustrated constellations, each containing a 3D-printed star embedded with NFC technology that invites team members and visitors to tap in and receive their daily horoscope. Escreet says the mural reflects the agency’s belief in imagination as a catalyst for possibility.
“The concept of the mural is built around the idea that Aruga’s people are both the dream and the dreamers,” she says. “Space felt like the perfect metaphor. It represents a universe where anything is possible, while also creating an interactive artwork that invites you to pause, wonder and spark those very ideas.”
Aruga co-founder Donna Kramer says the installation demonstrates how art can operate as both cultural expression and brand experience.
“At Aruga, we’ve always believed that the best ideas don’t arrive neatly; they drift, they collide and more often than not, they surprise you,” Kramer says. “The debut mural celebrating this new partnership captures how we think, how we collaborate and our boundless nature of creativity.”
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