Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize

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Assimilation III (acceptance), oil on wood 102 x 132cm (framed) 2015
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I'm honoured to have been selected as a finalist for the Macquarie Group Emerging Artists Prize this year. I submitted a set of 3 paintings (one of which is pictured above).
The exhibition will be open to the public from Monday 21 September at 10am.  It will be open Monday to Friday 10 am to 4pm.  The exhibition closes at 12 noon on Friday, 9 October.9-19 Elizabeth St, Sydney 

Beyond Limitations - Clayarch Gimhae Museum, South Korea

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From the 21st July - 21st August I was in Gimhae, South Korea participating in a month long residency project at the Clayarch Gimhae Museum. The project was a cultural exchange workshop between Australian and Korean artists with a large scale exhibition at the end of it. Having never formally studied ceramics, the opportunity to work alongside 20+ ceramic artists in such incredible facilities was invaluable.
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Install at Clayarch Gimhae Museum
The exhibition is open from the 21st of August - 11th of November.
More info about the exhibition here.

The Design Files Open House 2014

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I’m proud to be showing four new paintings as a part of The Design Files Open House event this year. Open House is a big annual pop-up event that showcases local artists and designers. This year, for the first time, Open House will be custom designed, and built within a 400 square metre warehouse in Collingwood, Melbourne. This event is open from Thursday December 4th to Sunday December 7th, 10.00am – 5.00pm each day. More info here.

Artwork on wall – clockwise from left,Stephen Giblett, Emma Lipscombe, Fred Fowler, Belynda Henry and Sandra Eterovic (circular piece).  On ledge, ceramics by Jessilla Rogers and Lightly, brass vessel by Lightly, brass circular sculpture by Anna Varendorff, leaning artwork by Madeline Kidd and Sarah Kelk.  Bandy stool and Harper loveseat by Jardan.  Cushion by Bonnie and Neil.  Rug by Armadillo & Co, flooring by Royal Oak Floors.  Wall colour – Dulux Sea Angel. Styling – Lucy Feagins, styling assistant – Nat Turnbull, photo – Sean Fennessy.

Riverside park workshop

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As part of the TWIG residency, we held a small community art workshop at Riverside park in Swan Hill.We were allocated a cool metal ping pong table to paint on and the concept was to do a collaborative landscape painting on using spray paint and stencils. Thanks to everyone who participated, it was a really enjoyable day.

AIDS 2014 mural project

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Recently I was involved in a collaborative mural project with YEAH And the Melbourne Youth Force as part of the AIDS 2014 conference.

It was a challenging project brief for a few reasons, it had to be something that potentially up to 160 people could contribute to, that could be painted with spray paint, and that could be finished in a limited timeframe of 6 hours. It also had to go on to become a permanent fixture at the Queen Victoria Markets site.

Considering the brief, my concept was to put one big stencil on the wall and then work with the participants to fill it up with smaller stencils. Building up layers of pattern, colour and meaning in to the work as it evolved. It was a great experience to be able to work with youth delegates from around the globe on a project like this, all the participants really embraced the idea instantly and came up with some great images. I am really pleased with the end result and importantly we all had a lot of fun working together to create it.

Thank you to the organisers, M.P Fikaris and all the youth delegates that contributed to the project. We dedicated the project to the people who tragically lost their lives on flight MH17 – some of whom were headed to Melbourne to participate in the conference.

New Landscapes - Essay

Very honoured to have such a great essay written about the exhibition by Emily McCulloch Childs. Here is a brief excerpt:

Fowler’s new landscapes evoke all that is ancient and beautiful about this land, and simultaneously, subtly, that which is more recent, brutal and confronting. They are a much needed, thoughtful exploration of these issues of land, animals, plants and humans, adding much to the discussion of Australia’s past and its present condition.

Read the whole essay here.

Emily McCulloch Childs is an art historian, writer, researcher, publisher and curator, currently undertaking a Ph.D, a post-colonial reading of the northern Australian frontier, at Monash Indigenous Centre. She is the author of several books on Australian art, including co-author of McCulloch’s Encyclopedia of Australian Art, and co-director of  the art company McCulloch & McCulloch and Whistlewood, a home gallery on the Mornington Peninsula.

Lorne Sculpture Bienalle - Photos

Photos from the Lorne Sculpture Biennale 'Sculptors in schools' project. I spent a week working with the year 11 art students from Trinity College in Colac in preparation for a collaborative installation on the beach. Thanks to all the students that participated, and everyone else involved in the project.

This project was made possible by the VCA & MCM’s Regional Engagement & Training Program, supported by the State Government through Arts Victoria. The RTEF program has been developed and delivered in partnership with Regional Arts Victoria.