Emma Holland
Art school elegance weaponized for minor personal feuds.
1 special · 2026
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She stands beside an easel or a projector screen, clicks to an absurd collage, and waits. The expression is wide-eyed and politely blank, the posture upright, like a docent presenting a project she knows is strange. She will lay out an ethical debate about street photography or analyze video game characters with total seriousness, only to veer into a bitter grudge against a primary school classmate who stole her choir solo. When a joke leaves the room quiet, she does not rush to bail it out. She just holds the gaze until the audience catches on to the rhythm.
Stand-up specials
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A personal art gallery built from petty grudges and homemade sculptures.
YouTube · 59 min
On stage
On Australian panel shows, she works as a quiet disruptor among faster-talking banter comics, but festival rooms are where her sensibility makes the most sense. She has carved out a distinct following in Melbourne by treating an hour of standup less like a club set and more like a playground for strange visual projects.
Her shows, including Don’t Touch My Trinkets, work by contrasting meticulous visual craft with deliberate immaturity. She is sharpest when high-concept framing collides with low-stakes resentment, using elaborate installations to settle scores with rude drivers. The pacing only dips when the theatrical staging takes precedence over the jokes, forcing the room to wait while props get reset.
Her background in photography and fine arts explains the stagecraft. Rather than pulling novelty gags out of a prop trunk, she builds hours that feel genuinely curated, turning the venue into an organized museum of grievances.
Turning points
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Raw Comedy National Grand Final Runner-Up
Holland finished as runner-up in Australia's premier open-mic competition, quickly launching her into the national comedy scene.
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Moosehead Award and MICF Nomination
Her solo show 'Save The Orangutans' earned a Moosehead Award and was nominated for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
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Taskmaster Australia Season 4 Championship
Holland joined the cast of Taskmaster Australia Season 4 and won the competition, cementing her status as a prominent television personality.
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Release of Here Comes Mr. Forehead
Holland independently released her debut full-length comedy special 'Here Comes Mr. Forehead' on YouTube.
At a glance
Also on screen
- Fine Art
- Taskmaster Australia
- Claire Hooper's House of Games
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- The Cheap Seats
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- Have You Been Paying Attention?
A clip to start with
Emma Holland (ACT) - Runner Up, RAW Comedy National Grand Final 2018